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Jan 12, 2014

The Artist Formerly Known as Teal Scott

On January 4, Teal Scott and Sarbdeep Singh Swan were wed.The Artist will henceforth be known as TEAL.

Comment Overflow: Once again, we've rolled over to a second page of comments. I'm adding direct links because blogger doesn't seem to handle this well in all browsers, notably mine. Comments: page 2 and page 3 and page 4 and page 5 and page 6

There's a story in the Marine Corps, perhaps apocryphal, about something a senior officer wrote in a FITREP for one of his junior officers: "His Marines will follow him anywhere, if only out of a morbid curiosity to see what he'll do next."

TEAL has many followers. Only some of them are fans. Or so I learned when I wrote a blog post articulating my questions and concerns about the self-described "spiritual catalyst." Shortly after posting the piece, I started getting comments from some of her fans and detractors -- mostly detractors. About a month later TEAL responded to my post.

Last night on my way to the bathroom, I peered into Blake’s room and noticed that he looked incredibly distressed. [Doesn't anybody knock?] I asked him what happened and he explained that a blogger named LaVaughn (Celestial Reflections) had dedicated a ten page itemized article slamming me for every aspect of my career and personal life that she could get her hands on. He also explained that he was receiving e-mails from people asking me to refute her outrageous claims [Pssst. I didn't make any claims.] because they “no longer knew what to think”. [I believe what we have here is the need behind the need. Her response is an attempt at damage control.] It was by far and away the most “anti-Teal” material we’ve encountered to date. Blake was livid. He wanted me to write an entire counter article to put people’s minds and hearts at rest. But it didn’t feel good to me. On top of the fact that many of her claims were too off base to even be worthy of address, [Did I mention that I didn't make any claims?] I could not get my energy behind the idea of dedicating time to defending myself against a random person who crawled out of the woodwork to gain popularity and attention by slandering me. [Dear God, could this woman be any more vain?]

It is profoundly out of alignment [Alignment with what?] to design an entire piece of writing around resisting someone or something, which is what this woman did. She does so from a place of bitterness and fear and therefore pain. I would not seek to increase her pain by attacking back to defend myself. [Aaawww. How sweet.] It seems that what people wanted from me was proof that she is wrong about what she said about me. Proof is a difficult thing because there is ultimately no way to create solid proof that could not be refuted. [I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that this is the real reason she won't defend herself against the many claims I didn't make. She can't.] I could refute each piece of her evidence, the same way that she is refuting mine, but what would be gained? I will not convince her that I am good. I would not be doing so for any other reason than my own need to be approved of by everyone. And I do not distrust the discrimination of the people who enjoy my material. People do not need my proof to know what is good for them or right for them personally. What they need to do is trust themselves. And whatever answer they receive about me, is right for them at that time. [Aahh. So I didn't so much critique TEAL as I insulted the judgment of her many, many fans. Did you hear a dog whistle? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I heard a dog whistle.] I do not wish to prove skeptics wrong. I gain nothing by resisting skeptics. As my fame increases, [Dear God...] there will be more and more skeptics. I gain only by continuing to do what makes me happy and hoping that what brings me happiness, brings other people happiness. I understand how hard it is when you distrust yourself, to navigate a world full of opposing perspectives. When you live without self-trust, the world seems to be full of people who are out to get you. And so, you don’t know who to trust. [I believe that should read "whom to trust" but I probably shouldn't play grammar noodge with TEAL. That game has no end.] But you can trust yourself. And by not refuting every skeptic that comes up against me, I am in essence giving people the opportunity to consult their own feelings and their own personal truth, and thus learn to trust themselves. It would be a great world though if the people, who were inspired to write ten pages on one person, did so from a place of loving that person. All too often, the only people full of enough bottled up energy to write ten pages on one person, do so from a space of hating them. [Yup. I'm a hater. Haters gotta hate, yo.]

To sum up, I did not make any claims in my previous post. I simply subjected some of TEAL's claims, statements, and documented history to a little scrutiny. Or, as a commenter on her own blog put it:

This information is out there for the world to see and you can’t make claims and then not be prepared to back them up when you specifically call yourself a ‘teacher’. You clearly enjoy the fame aspect of this and your team have posted on Facebook about wanting to get you on TV…….and you think this post was bad!?
This woman has executed the piece well and with ALL your own work, so the argument for lies and slander is very weak.

As I said in that post, TEAL doesn't really go after her detractors often. She has people for that. And as even some of her own fans noted, her post served as a signal to her "army" to attack me. And so they descended like so many winged monkeys.

In one of those delicious Jungian synchronicities, of which I am so fond, the night before all hell broke lose on my blog, I had watched a South Parkepisode called "The Hobbit." In it, righteous, little feminist Wendy points out the elephant in the room -- that Kim Kardashian is an extensively photoshopped fantasy creation who really looks like a hobbit. She is crucified for being a hater and threatened with a transfer to the "jelly school" for the exceedingly envious. So I found it incredibly hilarious that the very next day I was attacked mercilessly for being sooooo jel of TEAL's incredible good looks, sexiness, and success. Because if a woman raises concerns about another woman it's always really about petty jealousy, right? We gals are just shallow like that.

But then something kind of funny happened. More of TEAL's detractors showed up -- and more, and still more. It turns out there are a lot of people following her blog and numerous Facebook pages who share some of my qualms. Many of them have long been frustrated by their inability to raise these questions on her pages without having their comments deleted or lost to the black hole of eternal moderation.

The comments on my original post are, as of this writing, upwards of 400. The vast majority of those comments are critical of TEAL. Many of them are from people expressing relief at having their concerns heard and validated instead of shut down or hidden from sight. This is to say nothing of the many emails and phones calls I've gotten from people who just wanted to say, "Thank you."

I think it's safe to say, at this point, that TEAL's attempt to have her minions pound me flat rather backfired. What has evolved instead is effectively a crowdsourced analysis of TEAL's contradictions, questionable behavior, and outrageous statements. It makes for a fantastic read, filled with links, commentary, and penetrating insight.

I could never, in a single post, encapsulate everything that has been uncovered by the still growing number of commenters who've contributed to this analysis of TEAL's record. But I would like to address here some of the things that gave me particular concern about her practices, statements, and attitude.

TEAL Is So Vain

She probably thinks this post is about her.

As noted above, she seems to see my previous post about her as the attempt of some sad sack (me) to ride her glorious coattails. Because she's famous. She's very, very famous. And her fame is growing. We know this because she says so. A lot.

Who on earth refers to herself as a renowned "luminary?"

"I'm the extrasensory luminary who is knownaround the world as the spiritual catalyst."

Or describes their own writing as "poignant?"

TEAL. That's who. It seems there is no title or glowing description she won't arrogate to herself. Just recently, for instance, we learned that she is a "leader of the New Age."

Yesterday I was forwarded an anti New Age movement video and I was asked to express my opinion on it. The basic argument made was that the New Age Movement is just opiate for the masses (what scientists have been saying about religion for years)[?!?!?!] and that it is just an excuse to boost book sales and enhance the personal careers of people like myself who are in essence convincing people they can manifest money so that we can make money off of those people. I don’t usually feel compelled to respond to videos or comments that are offered by people who are in a space of extreme resistance, because there is no desire in them to find a meeting of minds. Where there is no receptivity, no meaningful conversation can take place, so it is just better to allow them to feel exactly how they feel and line up with the results of that perspective. But this time, I am compelled to comment because on a worldwide level, I am considered a leader of the New Age. People give me titles and associate me with things all the time, but being called a leader of the New Age is a title I resonate with and agree with. [All emphases mine]

Loathe as I am to delve into TEAL's ahistorical and otherwise incorrect factoids -- another game with no conceivable end date -- it was Karl Marx who described religion as the "opium of the people." And the idea that science and religion are at odds is an artificial construct. But I digress.

Even some of TEAL's regular readers balked at her gleeful adoption of this "title."

Wow…just wow…LOL
With all due respect, Teal, but there are so many other admirable people nowadays who are doing a great deal for humanity and have huge followings…and yet don’t call themselves “A worldwide leader”…of sorts. Someone needs to get a grip, just a little..

Whatever TEAL's finer qualities may be, humility is just not one of them.

For instance, did I mention that she's pretty? I'm sure I did, but I needn't have bothered because she will tell you and tell you and tell you. In fairness, Teal is not just pretty for herself. She's pretty for the betterment of humanity.

In this interview, starting around the 9:00 minute mark, she explains how crucial her physical attractiveness is to getting her message out to people on "every single continent." TEAL, it turns out, is pretty by design. An Arcturian panel "projected" her this way so that their message would be heard 'round the world. Homely women can't get attention to their ideas, apparently. People just innately like pretty things. So TEAL had to be pretty -- prettier than black women for sure. Because even a woman who is beautiful by African standards would be seen as "pretty ugly" here in the US. To reach the whole world with a message of spiritual evolution, you just have to be a pretty white girl. That's all there is to it. And it helps if you tell people that while you're lounging around in a slinky peignoir, in front of Nanny's Messy Bed. It just drives that message home, I guess.

It would appear that transcending superficiality just isn't part of the Arcturian's grand vision for planet earth. It sure isn't part of TEAL's. For instance here we learn that physical beauty is one of life's little reminders of the divine feminine.

I did an interview with a budding self-help expert Laura Marie today. Watching her on the other side of the screen was quite soothing for me. She was like a work of art to behold; porcelain skin that folded across the structure of her face and hair like spun silk. She was full of vigor for life. Her words, lightly tinted with a French accent. I couldn’t stop thinking after the interview was over, about women in general. It is so important that as women, we are out in the world setting an example of what it looks like to fully embody and express ourselves. It is time that those of us who were born female, release our resistance to our own gender and begin to embrace and express our feminine essence. Women have been in resistance to the divine feminine within themselves for far too long just like human society has been in resistance to the divine feminine for far too long.

One wonders if a woman less pretty than Laura Marie could possibly inspire TEAL to wax rhapsodic about the divine feminine -- one of those ugly girls from Africa, for instance.

Teal Bosworth Scott Swan

You can see why she'd want to simplify. But for the full explanation of her new moniker, you'd need to look at one of her many Facebook pages.

Hello all,
Thank you so much for the beautiful wishes! I figured i'd explain how this name change is going to work. On a professional level, we are going to drop the last name all together because TEAL is a stand alone name like Oprah or Osho etc. But I have officially changed my last name to Swan. There is deep spiritual significance to this decision. It is a more exalted name. Sarbdeep is from India and there, the swan has great spiritual significance. Teachers who have the ability to fly between the realms of matter and spirit are given the title Paramahamsa which means supreme swan. click this link to read more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramahamsa
Perhaps the adoption of this new title is also a transition into a new phase in my career as well.
LOVE YOU!!!!

TEAL

Except that Osho is not a name. It's a title. Like Paramahamsa, in the Hindu tradition, it's an honorific bestowed for a certain level of spiritual attainment in Zen Buddhism. These are not titles you hold because you get married or decide to change your stage name.

Oshō(和尚oshō?) is a Buddhist priest (in charge of a temple);[1] honorific title of preceptor or high priest (esp. in Zen or Pure Land Buddhism).

. . .

Oshō is the Japanese reading of the Chinesehe shang (和尚), meaning a high-ranking Buddhist monk or highly virtuous Buddhist monk. It is also a respectful designation for Buddhist monks in general and may be used with the suffix -san.

The only instance of Osho being used as a name that I'm aware of was the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh who just decided to start calling himself that at some point. He was a controversial figure and considered by many to be a cult leader. He was famous for collecting Rolls Royces, owning around a hundred at one point.

Osho's ideas on sex, marriage, family and relationships contradicted traditional views, arousing anger and opposition around the world.[79][210] His movement was feared and despised as a cult; he lived "in ostentation and offensive opulence", while his followers (most of whom had severed ties with outside friends and family and donated all—or most—of their money and possessions to the commune) might live at a "subsistence level".[89][211]

I first became aware of Rajneesh when I was living in Montclair, NJ, where he and his followers were ensconced in a nearby mansion. I even knew a guy who lost his wife to this cult. As he described it, he came home one night to find her dying all her clothes orange in the kitchen sink. A short time later she was gone. She'd relocated with Rajneesh and his other followers to Oregon. There was an ongoing issue around him being unable to find and divorce her so he could move on with his life. It dragged on for years and caused a great deal of suffering.

I mentioned this in a comment on my previous post and learned, to my horror, that TEAL is an admirer of the late Bagwan Shree Rajneesh, or Osho. And she had expressed during one of her Shadow House broadcasts that he had been unfairly maligned. So what if his followers wanted to express their devotion by giving him Rolls Royces!

Did I mention that TEAL likes gifts? I did. I did. She really likes gifts.

TEAL's Sad Christmas

Gifts are TEAL's "love language" so no gifts equals no love. Poor TEAL.

This is a weird Christmas for me. It doesn’t feel much like Christmas. The intentional Community I live in has all decided to forego getting each other gifts this year in favor of saving money to use towards moving to Europe. My son, Winter will be the only one getting presents this year. The space under the tree, which is usually overflowing with presents, is empty for the first time in my life. Except of course for cosmos, my cat, who has selected it as his own personal nest. He lies there purring, lazily batting at ornaments with his paw. I don’t know how to feel about this Christmas. I don’t even know what I’m going to do today or tomorrow except travel to a recording studio to do a television interview tonight on charitable giving and cook for everyone. Gifts are my love language, so the holiday feels empty of love this year. But I’m still utterly in love with the energy of Christmas and how happy everyone seems in the spirit of giving and community.

One of the things we learn as adults is that it is "better to give than to receive." And one of the things we learn as parents is that there is no greater joy at the holidays than seeing our children's delight when they open their presents. And is there some reason her cat's name isn't capitalized? Strange. So TEAL was feeling unloved this Christmas because love is best expressed with material things.

Not all gifts are equal, though. Strap in. A TEAL story follows.

I could sum my mother up in one word… activist. This means that when a foreign restaurant opened in town, my mother was eager to support them immediately, being full aware that the rest of the Caucasian, Mormon demographic in town would be wary of foreigners and thus avoid the restaurant and make them feel ostracized. Mormons like to think of themselves as good, open armed, inclusive Christ loving people. But the reality in the rural towns of Utah is that most of them are the exact opposite of that. The demographic of the area is nearly entirely Mormon and so they never have to interact with people that aren’t Mormon, much less people that are from a different race. The truth is, Mormons can be some of the nastiest, most exclusive and racial people you will ever come across. Long story short, when we walked in, true to form, we were the only people there. The entire family that owned the restaurant was lined up at the entrance, with enormous smiles on their faces, ecstatic to be doing business. Having only just immigrated to the United States, they barely spoke English. They waited on us hand and foot, practiced speaking English and when we finished the meal they explained that someone in town had told them about the tradition of giving gifts on Christmas, so they brought out presents to the table. They seemed so proud of themselves to have fit in with the tradition in a foreign country. Only, when we unwrapped the presents, they turned out to be edible underwear! It turns out some complete jack ass person in town had wanted to run them out of town by telling them that giving people edible underwear was a tradition on the Christmas holiday, knowing full well that even the average lax Mormon that showed up, would be horrified and boycott the business.

Where to begin... Mormons are some very white people on the whole, it's true. But they are also missionaries, traveling all over the world. There are Mormons of many races and that includes Chinese. But that aside, does anyone believe this story? Show of hands. Anyone? Anyone? Chinese entrepreneurs who don't know that edible underwear is not a gift you would give a family with children having dinner in your establishment? Anyone?

I have to admit, I find the whole thing a little implausible. What it suggests to me is more along the lines of an excuse to insert a little gratuitous nudity, give the reptilian brain a little jolt, get the old pulse racing. With TEAL there just aren't enough opportunities to talk about SEX. Not just sex, mind you, but SEX.

So in that one post, she's fired up the animal drives of her readers, pulled on their heart strings with her tale of loveless woe, and asked for money. (DONATE!!!) Will someone please give this woman some money? Things are tight. She moving to Europe. And she has no gifts. She feels so unloved. Will someone please put a Rolls in her driveway, maybe, with a nice big bow on it?

TEAL's Story

Some of the negative feedback I got from TEAL fans, aside from the fact that I'm just jel, had to do with my relentless focus on TEAL's history. They don't care and they just don't want to hear about it. Why, why, why, am I so obsessed with TEAL's nudie pictures?! Why?!

What's funny about that is that TEAL's modeling history, and how it complicates her CV, comprised a very small portion of a fairly long post -- roughly three paragraphs out of what is, according to TEAL, ten printed pages. So if you read that post and took from it that I'm obsessed with TEAL's pornographic history, you might want to consider that it's not me who's so singularly focused.

Some folks were also not terribly amused that I put her story of ritual abuse under a microscope. What surprised me most about that, though, was how many people don't think that history matters either. As one commenter on her blog put it:

One of the biggest criticisms people have of you is the confusion of timelines. Maybe you could shed a little light on that?... Let’s say hypothetically that your past is a bit fabricated. It’s pretty clear from a lot of the comments most people don’t care. What resonates with them is how your teachings make them feel. Your followers will still love you, and in truth, you might find yourself reaching even more people by opening up and removing some doubts, one way or another. You can, are, and will do a lot of good in this world. Be brave.

This is a fair reflection of some of the feedback TEAL received in light of my post. Another commenter, for instance, wrote:

I must admit that even being a big fan of Teal for almost a year, i too had doubts about her history ( simply because i didnt understand how her story of abuse can be merged with the story of her modelling career and traveling the world, the timelines seemed confusing to me ). But I never cared for this too much ,just because i FEEL her message, she has brought so much wisdom to me and launched my personal growth , I`ll forever appreciate this <3
I read that blog and it was a really mean one. Sarcastic and mean, it didnt feel good to read it. But i`ll say this – the author has missed one very simple point : lets assume that Teal`s story is false, does this make her message any less useful? Who cares about things that dont add up if she brings more happiness and joy to so many people?.

And if it happens that you should not be genuine...then it's the most fabulous falsity man has ever had the privilege to experience!!!!

So it would seem that many of TEAL's ardent followers don't really care if her story of ritual abuse at the hands of the psychopath with DID (???) ever happened. If the story for which she may be interviewed by "one of the biggest TV shows in the nation" turns out to be fiction, so be it. No biggie.

Now, look. I'm a grown-up. I know that it's far from uncommon for professionals of all stripes to pad their resumes a little, to embellish here and there. But is it really too much to ask that a healer, or catalyst, or whatever exactly TEAL defines herself as, not have a life story that isn't a giant fiction? Really?

Episodes from this story are part of a very long, ongoing narrative. They constitute a big chunk of her blog. And she whips this story out whenever she needs to justify an outburst or emotionally blackmail her critics into silence.

More to the point, it is TEAL herself who makes the case that her abuse history is seminal to her work.

I was on the America Tonight show with Kate Delaney today. It was a short interview, but a poignant one, entirely about my past and the ritual cult trauma. As I was doing the interview, it became obvious to me that I am being set up to be a spokesperson and poster child for ritual abuse. When I think about it, I know it is a position I was born to fill... I get at least one e-mail every month from people who have experienced ritual trauma first hand. Here is an example of one:

Dear Teal Scott,
9/14/2012

I have grown up in a cult. My dad was part of it. When I was ten my dad sold me to lots of mens and I couldn’t get away from them so I got away in my mind. I am older now and I ran away from home and lived on the street for a little. It was cold there and I got addicted to meth and sometimes I had sex for the drugs. And then I tried to kill myself and when I was in hospital I decided I want to live. I started cleaning up my life and someone I met in AA told me to watch your videos and I love every one of them. I love them so much that I looked up your website and seen that you have the same past as me. And I fell on the floor and I just started crying cause I cant believe that you look as happy as you look and have gone through the same things as me. I cry because I was sad and then I cry because I was happy. Because you exists in the world, I have hope for myself. I believe that I can do it too. I see a bright future ahead of me and I feel like you do not know what you do for me. You are the voice I do not have and am too scared to have about what I saw and felt. I could crawl on hands and knees and never do enough still to tell you how much thankful I am. I love you. You saved me and because of you, I believe in myself and that myself can heal.

How would this woman feel if it turned out she was taking her hope and inspiration from someone whose story was entirely fabricated? It seems to me like there is a lot riding on the veracity of TEAL's story in terms of her healing mission.

So now the producers, and presumably the lawyers, for a national television show are scrutinizing TEAL's story of ritual abuse. This could be a very big deal. If TEAL can really demonstrate that she was abused by a Satanic cult, hers will literally be the first independently verified case. According to the FBI, there is no proof to date that Satanic ritual abuse has ever occurred. According to Kenneth Lanning, every reported case fell apart under scrutiny. This despite the fact that stories of such abuse have ruined lives... of the accused, that is.

As I wrote in my previous entry, I found it rather strange that TEAL could have witnessed children being murdered and have no interest in seeing their murderers prosecuted. As I began reading her post on Crime and Punishment, I thought she might walk that stunning position back a little. But no. She doubled down.

People seem to enjoy revenge. They call revenge justice so they can feel better about wanting it. But the truth is, pain begets pain. I gain nothing by watching my abuser suffer. There is no justice in this system. Even if you locked away every abuser you could find on earth in a jail cell, you could not save people from their own creations. Victims are not exempt from this creation process. They too create their reality. We live in a society that does not yet recognize the vibrational reality that directs and dictates and trumps everything that is physical in nature, so no one wants to hear it when I say this… But locking up the perpetrators does nothing to improve the powerless state of those who sit squarely in a vibration of victimhood. It changes nothing about them at all. And so they remain a match to what comes as a result of that vibration. They will be victimized by something no matter how hard you try on a physical level to prevent it for them. You could not physically do enough to save them from their own point of attraction.

I agree with TEAL on this one narrow point. Our criminal justice system is too focused on revenge under the guise of justice. I think we would be much better served by a system focused more on the protecting the public from criminals aspect of jurisprudence. TEAL, though, doesn't think that's a good enough reason to put people who kidnap, rape, torture, and murder children behind bars. It's a conundrum for sure because it could mean more young girls will endure what she did. It leaves her "between a rock and hard place." But TEAL would have you know that there's no protecting the public from the law of attraction anyway, so...

To her credit, TEAL is just following the principles of law of attraction ideology to their natural conclusion, something many adherents are unwilling to do. As I asked here, if we're all just getting back what we put out in a just universe, what is the purpose of the criminal justice system?

But TEAL is also displaying exactly the same inconsistency that James Ray's devoted fans did.

Like Bob Proctor, Charlene D seems incapable of recognizing the inconsistency of blaming the victims of bad acts for their deaths while simultaneously absolving Ray of responsibility for the legal predicament he finds himself in. In the topsy-turvy world of this rabid "law of attraction" set, people who are hit by drivers who run red lights aren't victims. They're responsible for everything that happens to them. But those felonious drivers are being victimized by those who prosecute them and it's all just horribly unfair.

Why is it only the victims of crime who law of attract their misfortune? Why not the perpetrators who are caught and prosecuted? The people in prisons aren't responsible for what they put out into the universe? I will just never understand why so many of these law of attraction folks are so invested in protecting people from the real world consequences of their actions.

How TEAL Treats People

On some level I think TEAL's willingness to expose her shadow side to the public is quite brave. We all have a shadow and I think "making the darkness conscious" is crucial to our realization of wholeness. I also think that work is in sharp contrast to much of the law of attraction ideology advanced by Abraham/Hicks, The Secret, and their ilk. These approaches don't blend well. You can't on the one hand tell people not to focus on the negative because attention to it will expand it and on the other tell people to explore the uncomfortable bits they're stuffing into their subconscious.

That process of uncovering the shadow is certainly messy and none of us would look too grand if all of our "stuff" were out there for public viewing. This openness of process was the very thing that initially intrigued me about TEAL. But I saw pretty quickly that she is much more about shadow projection than self-realization. Her vicious attacks on other people come with a certain regularity, the humiliation of Fallon Dobson being one of the more dramatic exhibitions.

One of the things I learned after my initial post, not that it surprised me overmuch, was that I was not alone in being very disturbed by TEAL's public attack on Fallon. She diagnosed him as a psychopath and delved deeply into his "pathology" -- something for which she is not remotely qualified. And she made him a target for communal retribution. It was hideous. 'Nuff said. But Fallon is not the only person to find himself, or herself, in TEAL's sights.

By her own admission, she is capable of profound hostility, bitterness and envy. She can be really jel, is what I'm sayin.' Who inspires this tremendous ire? Notably women who have fairly smooth pregnancy and labor and gals like Elizabeth Smart who have parlayed their nightmares of kidnapping and abuse into social embrace and career opportunities. The people who've kidnapped and enslaved them, though? She doesn't seem to have much hostility for them... or think they should be prosecuted. So it's strange. She also seems far more contemptuous of the women having babies than she does the abuser who forced her to abort his progeny and gave her oxytocin to trigger premature labor causing her to expel twin fetuses alone in the bitter cold of a snowy hellscape. She also really hates Disney princesses, but they're not real people, so...

TEAL doesn't seem to have any compunction about holding people up to public ridicule as she recently did with her former mother-in-law.

For the sake of humor, I have to begin this blog entry on a similar note to my last entry about racism because Sarbdeep and I encountered our most uncomfortable racist moment yet, yesterday morning. Sarbdeep was born and raised in England. Now, it’s important to understand that he doesn’t have a cockney British accent. Instead, he speaks with the familiar dignified British accent that we associate with English politicians. Both his way of speaking and his mannerisms are stately. Which is about to make the discomfort of this story even worse. Winter’s Grandmother on his father’s side (who despises me by the way) came to visit yesterday. She is a devout Mormon woman, who turned out to be even more ignorant than one would expect a patriotic, religiously isolated woman to be. When she was introduced to Sarbdeep, you could feel her level of discomfort at interacting with someone who was from a different race. She went stiff and started trying to force herself to be nice, which is a coping skill that many Mormons employ when they are trying to deal with the discomfort of associating with someone who makes them nervous to be around. It was as if she was meeting an outer space alien.

As they shook hands, Sarbs explained that he was born and raised in London, England. She spent a good two minutes trying to pronounce his name and then made it a point to express the fact that she has never and would probably never have the desire to travel outside the United States. Then, she put the cherry on top of the moment by saying, “You speak such good English” as if Sarbdeep should be proud of that fact, him being brown instead of white and all. Sarbdeep and I both looked at each other; wide eyed with those smiles that said to each other “you’ve got to be kidding me”. I was so embarrassed for her in that minute that I wanted to crawl out of my own skin. Part of me understands that her racial and religious isolation has not permitted her the education that would enable her to know better. But the other part of me is frustrated at the fact that she does not have the desire to educate herself better with regard to the rest of the world and feels like sometimes there is no excuse for such a level of racially prejudiced ignorance. But the humor inherent in an American (who happens to speak Utah hick English), telling someone from London, England that they speak good English solely based on the fact that he has a dark skin color is going to ensure that we never forget this interaction. I’m sure it will be a joke we share for years to come.

LOL. And now we're all in on the joke... at this poor woman's expense. It's not funny. It's cruel. This woman's real mistake appears to be in "despising" a former daughter-in-law with a public platform. Winter's grandmother is a private citizen who did not choose to be dragged into the public sphere so that she may be mocked and ridiculed. But if you know TEAL, you're not entitled to a private life so don't expect one.

TEAL will have you know that she is not racist like that ignorant Mormon hick. She is merely bigoted against Mormons. She is also classist. "Sarbs" may have dark skin but he's not some low-class, cockney git. But racist? TEAL? No. She loves the way her new husband's dark skin is offset by white fabric. I don't know if he would appeal to people on "every single continent" but he's pretty handsome. And stately. Don't forget stately.

The other thing we learn about Sarbdeep in that post is that he's not exactly comfortable about having his personal life discussed in public.

Sarbdeep finds it extremely uncomfortable and vulnerable to expose his vows to the world, but I have informed him that the discomfort is a sign of expansion. So, I am going to include both of our vows for you now...

What Sarbdeep must learn, like everyone else in TEAL's world, is that he's not entitled to a private life so he shouldn't expect one.

Even more disturbing is that TEAL just knows what's best for everyone and will act accordingly, whether they like it or not. She has all the occult knowledge of the Arcturians or Adonai or whatever. She's a Eucharist. So if TEAL decides that your discomfort is what's best for your personal growth, suck it up, buttercup. You're just gonna have to be uncomfortable.You can thank her later.

One of the things I've learned in my years of practice as a psychic intuitive and healing facilitator is that listening is more important than talking. I see our job as one of support and facilitation, not of ramming our egos down our clients' throats. It's something I feel pretty strongly about -- that whatever insight we may have, it never trumps that of our clients. When I was studying with Cherokee Mystic Virginia Sandlin, she put it this way. From my perspective, I am the source of my reality and you are my reflection. But from your perspective, you are the source of your reality and I am your reflection. You can never really heal anyone else because that would mean that you are the source of their reality. All we can really do is support others in their own process of self-discovery and we can't do that if we're imposing rather than offering our own vision. So I found TEAL's anecdote about her suicidal client really stunning.

At around the 53:00 minute mark TEAL relays the following:

I actually, interestingly enough, lost my first client to suicide this last year. And this was a woman who was absolutely miserable. I'm talking every moment of her life was a nightmare. And so we had that very serious sit-down talk where we had to say, alright, we're either committing or not committing to life because every time I gave her a suggestion she'd stop in two days doing the suggestion. So then we have to ask the question do we really want this to work. And what's interesting is that when she asked herself that question the answer was, "No. I'm done." There's nothing that any healer could ever do for that type of vibration which is totally fine. From source energy there's nothing wrong with death from that perspective. So, she chose to commit suicide. Interestingly enough it took her about two days before she was reincarnated again. (audience laughter) Yeah. Not only that, two days before she was reincarnated to another family situation that mirrored the one that she had already chosen.

Taking that story at face value raises a number of troubling issues and ethical concerns. TEAL offered this client some tools. She didn't stick with them and her situation was not improving. TEAL deduces not that perhaps she hadn't hit on quite what that client needed, but that the client had reached a point of decision between life and death. "To be or not to be." So TEAL is so infallible, so perfect, that she couldn't possibly be failing to meet that client's needs. The problem had to be with the client, not TEAL.

Worse, it appears that TEAL knew the client was suicidal and did nothing to stop her because of her own belief that it's not wrong to kill yourself. The universe doesn't care if you live or die and TEAL is totally dialed in to that "source perspective." Worse still, it sounds like she not only knew her client was suicidal, but actually helped her along to that conclusion. All because she wasn't following through on TEAL's recommendations and wasn't improving.

So this client, at TEAL's prompting, concludes that she just doesn't want to go on. Does TEAL say, gee, you might need more help than I can give? Does she recommend or refer her for therapy? Does she do anything at all to stop this woman killing herself? No. TEAL has decided that because she couldn't help her, no one could. She knows for a fact that no healer could possibly do anything with this woman's vibration. And since TEAL understands "source perspective" she knows that it's perfectly fine if this woman kills herself. I mean, after all, TEAL knows for sure that she reincarnated two days later, so it's all good.

It's just remarkable hubris and it may have actually cost a woman her life. But we already know that TEAL is remarkably cavalier about death from her commitment to the forgive and ignore psychopathic child murderers who have escaped prosecution. It's a strange set of priorities.

Comment Overflow: Once again, we've rolled over to a second page of comments. I'm adding direct links because blogger doesn't seem to handle this well in all browsers, notably mine. Comments: page 2 and page 3 and page 4 and page 5 and page 6

1,069 comments:

"One of the biggest criticisms people have of you is the confusion of timelines. Maybe you could shed a little light on that?... Let’s say hypothetically that your past is a bit fabricated. It’s pretty clear from a lot of the comments most people don’t care. What resonates with them is how your teachings make them feel. Your followers will still love you, and in truth, you might find yourself reaching even more people by opening up and removing some doubts, one way or another. You can, are, and will do a lot of good in this world. Be brave"

I would like to elaborate on this so that what I was trying to say is totally clear. It was my hope that my post might help inspire her to address the questions that you and other critics have (rightly) asked.

The way I saw it, even if her past was fabricated, and she has been lying about everything, it would be a big step in a positive direction if she at least addressed her critics in an open way.

She does have a dedicated following of people behind her, and I think many of them would continue to follow even if she's been lying this whole time.

I think the chances of that happening however would be much greater if she came clean willingly, instead of being forced into it. She doesn't appear to have any intention of doing that or addressing any of the questions people pose and I think that's a problem.

At the time I wrote that I was still suffering from the lingering effects caused by drinking the Teal kool-aid. I'll admit it. I guess I had hoped that she had positive intentions and was doing all of this from a space of wanting to make the world a better place.

Maybe she does. I don't know. I do know you raise some very valid points and I've been pondering on them a lot since I started following your blog and the comments on it.

I've been struggling with a sort of cognitive dissonance with regard to Teal. Maybe it was stupid of me? It probably was. I'll admit it. Thank you for posting on this subject, you have helped to change my views on it. I just thought you should know.

Great follow up piece! I've been weirded out by a lot of stuff over the course of my life. I've always been a Twilight Zone fan. Heck, I've loved to weird people out too. But this takes the gold or silver for me. Wow. I mean wow!

Mark, That would be a question for a lawyer. Were she a therapist, she would probably be culpable based on her own account. For a non-clinician I think the law's a little fuzzier. But if were a family member of the deceased, I'd probably be exploring legal recourse. Assuming this was a true story, of course.

Great follow up piece, LaVaughn. I found the point about her failure to refer her client onto someone more qualified, the woman who ultimately killed herself, to be especially eye opening. When getting certification as a therapist, the first rule you're taught is that it is a strength and necessity to recognize when it's time to make a referral. You have to acknowledge that you are out of your depth BEFORE your client starts discussing suicide. And you certainly don't say, "You choose death? Well alright then. I tried." and leave it at that. Her actions are extraordinarily unethical. Noteworthy is that she has lost several clients to suicide, according to her own account on Shadow House and elsewhere.

She what. You know I found myself reflecting yesterday on how odd her phrasing is there. She lost her "first client" to suicide. Not "a" client. Her first. As if she's expecting more!

I've had a lot of friends through the years who were therapists and social workers, so I know that much. Hell, I know that much from watching Law & Order. Or maybe I just know it because good sense and decency dictates that you don't sit on your hands when think someone is suicidal.

I just posted a comment on the previous thread. I'm going to repost a it to this thread because I wasn't able to get to her recent blog post on money in this entry:

"I saw her money post. It was like a little nostalgia trip through the 1980s. So incredibly hackneyed.

But let's keep it simple. All you have to do is train your mind on abundance, et voila! Yet she has no gifts (love) under her tree this year. She and her little "family" don't have enough abundance to meet all their needs and desires. Why not? Is she just really shitty at practicing the principles of this law of attraction thing she's teaching? Or is the law of attraction as she's teaching it bullshit? Neither prospect is good. "

Fallon was a client too remember, he came to buy a painting and he got energy work done on him. He was suicidal too according to his now removed video. It suggests Teal has no professional boundaries. My memory serves me very well. So that's a suicidal man we know of and an unidentified or non existent suicidal woman, now dead I hear because she could not commit to life according to Teal, Teal wasn't sad or anything, it was a most matter of fact discussion.

Not much healing going on in in Teals house then lol, which is surprising as Teal claims her house it so high vibration, should add value to her property those old high vibes.

So going by that, Fallon/Jared as a client of Teals ended up in a psychiatric ward devastated by the break up with Teal and publicly humiliated on Facebook, his mental health diagnosed publicly by a non qualified lady and another client killed herself but happily came back into another body and Teal recognized her. (Santa Fe workshop)

LaVaughn, there's a fiery little thread on her page that was started by someone named Cheryl Keaton (it's public, so I'm not breaching anyone's privacy), in which the questioner is descended upon by the TEAL ARMY like a pack of starving vultures. She had the audacity to question TEAL - the nerve! - and there are almost 200 comments from the cult attacking her. One of the attacks comes courtesy of Laura Magdalene Eisenhower (the great-granddaughter of Dwight Eisenhower and the incarnation of Mary Magdalene... apparently... so obviously a good ally for the Arcturian Goddess). TEAL even got involved in the discussion until she said she would no longer respond. I think it's very pertinent to everything being discussed about her, so I recommend you check it out. Full of fallacies and plenty of holes. Graciella, TEAL's apprentice, even accuses the questioner of being illogical - LOLZ. Posted yesterday on https://www.facebook.com/teal.scott.16

Right near that thread on her FB page is this incredibly sad post from another "fan" that TEAL responded to (notice she wasted no time in replying to a post about presents, can't miss an opportunity to encourage more gifts being sent to her P.O. box and/or PayPal donations...)

Abigail: What is your favorite kind of gift Teal? Or do you not have a favorite and just enjoy the thought behind the gift?

Teal: My favorite kind of gift would have to be sentimental gifts that represent people's relationship with me... Or gifts that show that they took the time to understand what I'd like. I love earrings and clothes, especially dresses and skirts because i WILL use those. I also LOVE food. Especially food that is sweet, but that isn't made with sugar. Someone sent me honey and fresh maple syrup once and I was ecstatic. Someone else sent me fruit. Now I'm getting carried away cause I love presents so much. haha10 hours ago · Like · 8

Just rereading a bit of the thread by Cheryl Keaton, which starts out innocently enough like so: "Teal, your teachings are missing the witnessing aspect... he claims that feeling emotions simply is not enough. This very short video by Eckhart Tolle points out the problems with the teachings usually given by psychologists about dissociation. Please watch this http://youtu.be/ctgggBU_k4g"

The questioner has defended herself repeatedly following attacks by the ARMY to no avail. They sound like a bunch of oxygen deprived Adolf Titlers, IMO.

The fact that these are ADULT HUMAN BEINGS defending the absolute drivel coming out of this Wogglet's mouth (aka TEAL) is astounding. Astounding and very, very sad. Shame on the lot of them.

It's classic cult behaviour: One person disagrees with the cult consensus and she's being publicly humiliated for it, as if TEAL can't defend herself... or even needs defending. When in the hell did a difference of opinion translate into a Jihad? Bloody dangerous kooks, they are.

Dear God, Dava. It sounds ghastly. I can't see it, though. So either it was deleted or switched to private to hide it. And the gifts. That's what she responds to. That is one high maintenance Eucharist.

Dava, Here's what I notice. I can't see the thread you're talking about so it was taken private. Can't have the general public seeing the mess, only the converted. And Cheryl Keaton is not on Teal Swan's friend list so someone unfriended someone else. Or it was mutual.

Yeeeaaahhh.... That could have gone better. In fairness Cheryl Keaton could have been a little more diplomatic in how she raised that. TEAL's response could also have been less reactive and defensive to something that was blunt but not hostile. The way I read Keaton's comments, she thinks TEAL is not so much feeling her feelings as being run by them, which isn't a perspective one expects from someone who characterizes herself as one of very high spiritual vibration. Mostly, she's just inconsistent. I mean this is a woman who maintains a totally detached "source perspective" when her client offs herself but has a meltdown when she sees a happy pregnant woman or a kidnap victim embraced by the public or has a break-up or anyone of a dozen other triggers.

Her followers, though, were disgusting. Like the guy who kept insisting Keaton just needed to get laid. Lovely.

When I was contemplating just how it is that TEAL characterizes herself I came circling back to her becoming a Paramahamsa by marriage. And I realized something that was gnawing at the back of my mind.

"Perhaps the adoption of this new title is also a transition into a new phase in my career as well."

Career. Not her spiritual journey or personal growth, her career. It just seems very strange to me. And I'm not someone who is opposed to doing spiritual work for a living. Obviously. But I know for myself, it's an avocation more than a vocation. What I do is an outgrowth of my own spiritual growth process.

One of my favorite works on money is a lecture by Maryann Williamson called "Money Spiritualized." It's phenomenal. At heart it's "do what you love and the money will follow" but she goes into a lot of detail on her own journey and how she just loved the Course in Miracles and it sort of evolved into a new career path. Money comes from work and we should love our work but loving money for its own sake is a little nuts. Yet that's precisely what TEAL says we should do. Fall in love with money. Money is not the root of all evil but the love of it is. That's one bit of scripture I believe in totally. We need money. It's a basic fact of life. But when we pursue money instead of our passions and living our purpose in the world, that way lies madness.

Today I received the following email message. No clue how they got my address but just wanted to share this with you all because.... (drum-roll!) we have a "Teal Scott clone"!

Emphasis and text in bold is all mine ;-)

Subject: School of Spirituality - Aligned With Teal Scott

Dear Spiritual Traveller,

Last year we saw significant changes in our world with a mushrooming of spiritual development groups and individuals coming forward. The School of Spirituality was founded by Sri Gordhan (www.srigordhan.com) a year ago and is aligned to Teal Scott’s philosophies and teachings.

During 2013, the School set up a number of courses and now has eight tutors involved in different aspects of spiritual development. All the courses are of high quality and have rated at least 90% by participants. This year will see a permanent London base being established and additional courses (e.g. design and produce your own healing mandala) being added to the courses available. The Advanced Spiritual Development (Parts 1 & 2) has proven to be very popular and the tutor (Cristina Popovici is our own Teal Scott clone) has continued to refine the course.

If you seek more information on the courses available, please join the School of Spirituality meetup group (http://www.meetup.com/schoolofspirituality/) and see what resonates with you. In addition, please also consider the School of Spiritulaity facebook group for sharing views and postings (https://www.facebook.com/groups/168944043253192/)

It's a strange thing but I notice things go missing from time to time with Teals videos or blogs and I have no idea why. I could swear Teal made a YouTube video on Self Harm (please correct me if I am wrong) Also, where on earth is the blog on Oedipus Complex where Teal talked about her relationship with her father and her mother's jealousy of thet relationship. That blog has simply disappeared. Can anyone think why that might be?

She slated her mother and father in that blog quite severley and with Jared getting it too and later her mother in law, maybe Teal felt she had publicly humiliated a few too many people recently.

If only Teal was an example of truth. Unfortunately this is just propaganda. I wish i could see you for who you are Teal but you are an enigma. To think that you think your own quote applies to yourself is funny. You make out you're some kind of Martyr who is being yourself against the odds. Nobody's stopping you but they are calling you on the sheer volume of discrepancies that surround your spiritual path, sorry CAREER.

Teal won't respond to La Vaughns article. But would you believe she has debated with many an insurance man on the way up to the slopes. I guess challenging many an insurance man on a lonely ski lift is quite a normal thing to do. These men are on the slopes on their leisure time but Teal being a spiritual revolutionary thinks she has the right to say to them "How do you sleep at night?" She had a HEATED DEBATE no less with a list of strange men on many a lonely ski lift, but she is more shy with this blog and it too is only a list of opinions. Glad to know your opinion on insurance companies Teal. I bet all those insurance men felt great after sharing a seat with Teal eager for a heated debate as she tells them the error of their ways. Maybe the insurance chaps yelled hater at Teal as they alighted from the ski lift.

"I live in a luxury ski resort town, which means that it is a vacation destination for wealthy people who come here to ski. Over the years, I have ended up on many a lonely chair lift, sitting next to men who own insurance companies. There is always that awkward pause when they tell me what they do for a living; before I burst out in giggles. And the next thing that comes out of my mouth is usually “How do you sleep at night?” Sometimes they instantly laugh when I say that. Other times they ask what I mean and the rest of the ride to the top of the hill is reduced to a heated debate; but that question just about sums up my opinion about insurance companies."

Well Dava, the thing that always impresses me about TEAL's "army" is how they exemplify the high vibration inherent in being a TEAL follower. And now they can all get laid thanks to the highly vibrational environment of Teal Tribe Dating. The highly vibrational should never be lonely again, by the grace of the Arcturian overlords or whatever.

I think the general recommendation is to discourage someone from suicide. I don't get the whole suicide-is-OK thing. It may be if you are already dying an in a lot of pain, but those instances are rare. I can't imagine any "spiritual luminary" just passing it off as OK and even claiming he or she was reincarnated. This is just insanity.

Lonely Girl, aka., pretty handsome girl, Please stop spamming my blog with the same comment. Once is plenty so I'm deleting all but one, just so you know.

I know enough about ritual abuse to know that any site that sports articles by Dale W. Griffis isn't up to much. His has a PhD from a diploma mill. He gave risible testimony in the WM3 case. He's a punchline. Some of us care about facts, not wild-eyed hysteria about people who wear black and listen to Metallica.

Here's Teal writing once again about subjects that are not even of her own personal experience or her concern but Teal knows that sticking her nose in with fat people will make them think she's a nice person. What she's actually doing is appealing to a group of people who may have low self esteem, they will think Teal is being nice and understanding of their difficulty but it's just a recruitment drive and that's how Teal does it. She's given her followers a pretty frequency painting today as well to make everyone feel good in their tummy. Teal, I am overweight but you're the last person I would come to for advice. You have no authority to speak about obesity either as a personal experience of yours or clinically so stick to stuff from your home planet Arcturus. You were going to study obstetrics, you haven't studied obstetrics but your wannabe doctor stuff is really silly. If I need this kind of advice I will go to my doctor and not a medical intuitive. Leave this kind of thing to the experts not the unqualified medical wannabes who criticize hospital care from an outsider perspective and all the other stuff you criticize too. We don't want your spiritual perspective on obesity. You argues with your own doctor about the effects your vegan diet was having on your body and told him you were a medical intuitive, that's how rude you are Teal. You seem to think you can tell people their jobs. So far I count Doctors and Insurance men and maybe fat roofers. You're arrogant and you have no right to do this to people given your track record and conduct.

I know, Glen. I read that one earlier. I just wish she'd learn the proper use of the word irony. Just that. I think that'd be enough for me at this point. Everything's ironic with this one. Like nails on a chalkboard it is.

And I love that the "irony" is that she saw a fat person while she was talking about fat people. Really? Right here in the US? What are the odds?

Meh. She made some good points. Things to ponder, I thought. Wonder who wrote them first. But never say always. Seriously. It's ALWAYS the reason? It's THE reason 100% of the time? Okay.

"What she's actually doing is appealing to a group of people who may have low self esteem, they will think Teal is being nice and understanding of their difficulty but it's just a recruitment drive and that's how Teal does it."

Does anyone see a pattern in Teals life? SHE'S NEVER WRONG. There will always be a fall guy in Teals life or someone to blame but Teal is never wrong. Do you honestly want someone like that leading anything? If you cannot see how supremely arrogant she is then I pity you. This lady was going to make changes in palliative care? No Teal, stay away from hospitals, you don't have a caring bone in your body, carers are unsung heroes who do not seek fame and fortune and deity status, they work away unnoticed with far fewer rewards that you're getting right now for being a charlatan.

I'm telling you right now Teal, you're not good enough to look after anyone anywhere because you are selfish through and through. Leave caring to those who are suited to it, to those that have hearts of gold. All you want is to be noticed and you try to give the impression you are caring but it's only to garner sickening levels of attention for yourself.

@La Vaughn "Cults recruit those who are most vulnerable, because these people are less liely to see through the layers of deceit. Cults target friendly, obedient, altruistic and malleable people because they are easy to persuade and manage. They do not deal with the disobedient or self-centered type, as they are too hard to mold. "

Yes, I can see her programs, sorry helpful blogs, lol

"Cults recruit those who are most vulnerable, because these people are less liely to see through the layers of deceit. Cults target friendly, obedient, altruistic and malleable people because they are easy to persuade and manage. They do not deal with the disobedient or self-centered type, as they are too hard to mold. "

Hey La Vaughn.I really tried understanding your point behind all of this. I can't help but notice the bitterness and unintelligent side-notes(fixing her grammar? Like seriously... so low miss). I'm not her to represent/defend Teal in any way, I'm here to share my perspective about this situation. I don't see the point by spending so much time writing this article. Whomever is going to keep listen to Teal and trust themselves and her, will keep doing it, and your article won't change that. And the people who already doubt her and dislike her will keep that as well. It's nothing but perpetuating fear. Some people fear a lot and doubt everything, so they are the only one affected by what you said. People's past never lowers their worth. If anything else, makes them stronger. Her past just shows how well she's doing and how strong she is to stay alive. It's easy to criticize someone who's a public figure that you don't really know. That's really a low-level. For you own sake and health... I don't think it's good being obsessive so much with Teal, because every time you'll see her, you'll feel resentful. For what's worth? I ask.

Take a deep breath LaVaughn... Justin, one of TEAL's housemates/chosen ones, has posted a rant about you online and made it public. He's redirected people to this article, no doubt anticipating that people will do his bidding for him and put you in your place (pfft...). So you can expect the same high-calibre responses as the one you've just received from the infamous Idan Levy, who is managing to keep it together today (phew) and sees himself fit to take swipes at you, with thanks to Justin's inspiration.

You see, Justin is SO above arguing with you publicly, though he's "professionally trained", having been an almighty graduate student and all (ahem)... but he is not above sending people to your site to do it for him. You know, passive aggressively...

Part 1/2Justin Samuel Olaguer: "I'm so angry about what people are saying about me and the people I hold dear here in Utah. It's so outrageously cruel and off base -- I've been scanning it, just in case I might sense something that I ought to speak up and say something about. I have been deciding against saying anything for the following reasons: I don't want to feed intense resistance with my own resistance. I've spent enough of my life arguing, enough to know that when it comes from resistance it only adds to that which you hate and do not desire. There will only be more (and more and more) internet sleaze to follow as our ( Shadow House participants') public profile grows, and so there's no point in responding to every dumbfuck who makes cruel or off base commentary- but tonight Teal and I basically had a fight, one where she was acting out the shadow of my mother and I the shadow of her father (and, yes, I take a certain pleasure in mentioning that I fight with Teal, because, no, she is not a cult leader who commands unquestioning devotion from those who follow her work, she is to me a close friend and confidant who also has a perspective that informs my own). I did not want anyone to respond to the sleaze, any of it, because I did not think it beneficial (for anyone) and because I thought responding risked feeding the cruel frenzy that has amassed on the blog of a 'psychic' Nancy Grace wannabe (someone by the name of La Vaughn on a page called 'Celestial Reflections'.) In any case it appears that psychic Nancy Grace (as I shall refer to her) is a skeptic about the fact that ritual abuse occurs in cults -- and the fact that I seemingly found this sort of skepticism unworthy of response pissed Teal off -- but, for my part, it wasn't about it being unworthy of response per se, it was more about the wisdom of posting anything to the blog itself. But the argument then quickly shifted to the role of public argument itself--something I have been deeply spiritually and intellectually conflicted about since giving up on academic philosophy and political discourse entirely. I don't know what it is to 'argue' (i.e. publicly, I do not mean private arguments that are ultimately healthy and healing when they occur between people) in a way that is in alignment with my own joy and not resistant to others' beliefs and perspectives. I've spent 6 years of my life learning to argue, professionally, and frankly, my experiences have led me to find little value in it. In any case, all of this got hashed out in the course of the argument I had with Teal, and finally, we saw where there was a communication breakdown in the terms we were using (what it is to 'defend' something or to be 'confrontational'), and we reached a place -- a 'meeting of the minds' if you will -- where we both understood the perspective of the other..."

Part 2/2 "... Importantly my perspective about the matter is this: the 'exalted' form of argument isn't what I would really call 'argument' (not at least as I understand argumentation from my formal training) it is rather the open sharing of a perspective, one that is probably backed by a personal narrative explaining how someone came into that perspective. When you share that personal narrative, the audience will just see -the reasons- why you came into that perspective, and since you are only concerned with -sharing- your perspective, you are not in resistance to other beliefs and perspectives because you are not trying to change them, let alone prove them wrong. But the act of sharing a perspective is powerful, especially when sharing that perspective is -inspired-, because it will facilitate a 'meeting of the minds' between you and your audience -- no one is asked to change anything -- and only *understanding* is achieved, or at least, is the goal. I can't share at this immediate moment the full story that lead me to where I am now (for the story is very long) but I do desire that people, more people at least, start to *understand* my perspective, about my life, about my life with these people that I love, about what I think about the world, the universe, and human life itself. I want to become more open, to abandon fear of public reprisal (or worse, public shame) and share with the world who I truly am as I truly am. This is ultimately the point of clarity I have reached tonight, and I am happy that this La Vaughn bitch has provided the contrast to inspire me to open up and offer an understanding of myself and the role that I wish to play in this world, and of the role the people I love here have played in my life thus far. http://celestial-reflections.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-artist-formerly-known-as-teal-scott.html"

Idan, I gently want to draw your attention to the fact that you appear to be way out of your depth here. Can you explain why commenting on grammatical errors is “unintelligent”? “Like seriously”? You say you’re not here to represent or defend Teal and yet you are clearly a full fledge kool-aid drinking member of the TEAL TRIBE, so you are not possibly unbiased. I used to be in some of TEAL’s Facebook groups and have seen several of your posts, the journal-style videos you post replete with astrological forecasts, desperate cries for help, crisis, followed by declarations that you’re “so spiritual and high vibe”. Like, seriously? Seriously. OMG, so seriously.You’re right, the people who are choosing to follow TEAL, who are unwilling to consider that their leader may quite often be wrong (GASP), who systematically attack anyone who dares disagree with their teacher’s views and publicly shames them for having the audacity to do so (note: the person/people telling Cheryl Keaton she needed to “get laid” etc. for her innocuous comments on TEAL’s Facebook page, and the fact the TEAL didn’t step in to point out that THAT was disgusting behaviour… though she’s sure to point out when she has been personally offended, she isn’t interested in pointing out when others are being shamed and harmed publicly. Seem fair to you Idan?), those people will continue with their blinders on. Until they cannot. But there is another group out there: ones who are more supple, who are alive and awake to the power of discernment, who can hear a full argument and not seek to destroy the person they disagree with, but simply consider it and take the worth from it in order to form a balanced worldview. People who are interested in a wider perspective, the bigger picture, who know that there is NO such thing as a single, objective proof, as you and your fellow ARMY purport there to be, Idan. Those people will come across this information, consider it, and then empower themselves to make the decision that is right for them, based on a number of factors. That’s who this is for, Idan. Not the sheep, not the followers. That is its value, Idan. TEAL’s views and teachings are not infallible, my friend. They are one PERSON’s perspective, and mostly very juvenile and flawed, things she has collected from outside sources over time but certainly are not pulled from the ethers thanks to being an exalted holy woman. With a bit of wisdom and time, you learn what enlightenment is and what it looks like, and it ain’t that kiddo. The only perspective that matters is the one you develop from personal experience. News flash: adopting beliefs without personal experience to verify their authenticity and their truth for you, the individual, is religion. You’re in a cult, mate. Funny, you had such a public battle about joining the Israeli army, and the celebration when you dodged the bullet, yet now you find yourself completely entrenched in TEAL’s army.You are going around publicly, Idan, accusing people like LaVaughn of being “low-level” (I think that means low vibration or something to that effect…), and Eckhart Tolle is “suppressing emotions”, and this person is X, and that person is Y, because you fancy yourself something of an expert now, yeah? You’re young, you’re learning, but what I would suggest is focusing on yourself and real life, honest human connections, rather than being so invested in asserting yourself as an expert, which you are not. You’re still a boy, there’s nothing wrong with that. But you need to humble up because your ego is so clearly inflated, thanks to the encouragement of TEAL and some of the other egomaniacs in her Facebook groups, that I’m surprised you can fit your head through a door.

It's not sleaze we do here,no edible underwear here. It's a platform for discussion and opinion and La Vaughn only does professional expose.

La Vaughn, you're bitter they say and a bitch, don't suppose you've kicked your boyfriend out of the house recently and then humiliated him on the biggest social networking site in history placed pictures of him there then divulged his patient confidentiality while he's vulnerable telling the world he's in a psychiatric ward.

You're not a bitch La Vaughn, you're simply providing perspective.

Why are people being evasive in favor of personal attacks on you taking their anger out on you La Vaughn because of thoughts unearthed about their own mothers in Teals house, WOW, hardly your fault.

You're a scapegoat I feel for emotions that ran high in shadow house, it's not your fault La Vaughn, don't let them blame you for their baggage, any of them.

I feel it's so unhealthy to be around the same people all the time in that shadow house and not with other people who can give other perspectives.

It's clear to me that Justin is not interested in looking at anything that has been said here even if it's got truth in it.

As a contributor to this blog I am happy too be called a dumbfuck Justin, I'm not going to call you a hater for expressing how you feel.

As I have pointed out before, it was Teal herself who drew attention to La Vaughns writings so if it has now become more magnified. I think the word is backfired. You cannot stifle opinion Justin, people believe in what they are expressing until such times they both understand the perspective of the other.

Justin, you have a bit of a nerve taking part in shadow house and somehow giving it merit as an emotional platform while at the same time condemning this blog for examining things that people resonate with.

La Vaughn is not your mother so stop venting your anger out on her Justin or on this blog. It was Teal you were arguing with so keep your unrelated anger in shadow house and be more specific with your points of view on her articles and say why you feel that way. You guys are always in disputes, it's drama central in that house.

You've provided contrast La Vaughn says Justin. Well this is the land of contrast.

It was nice of Teal to give Justin the opportunity to have a meeting of minds. You were too much in resistance La Vaughn to have a meeting of minds, Teal decided you were not deserving of a platform to arrive at a meeting of minds.

You see Teal gets to decide who is in a place of resistance so you're condemned without a hearing with Teal Scott.

Idan, Thank you for sharing perspective and for your concern over my well-being. You have been gracious in your response and I will try to address your questions and concerns.

On the grammar: BA in English and seven years in book publishing. Old habits die hard. I think grammar and proper word usage matter. I just do. I'm a grammar noodge. I know that in the age of text messages, social media, and a failing educational system, I'm fighting a losing battle, but I'll hold this ground like a Spartan if it comes to that. How we use language is interrelated with our individual thought process and collective cultural context. (See: Sapir-Whorf)

"I don't see the point by spending so much time writing this article."

It didn't actually take that long.

"Whomever is going to keep listen to Teal and trust themselves and her, will keep doing it, and your article won't change that. And the people who already doubt her and dislike her will keep that as well."

If my posts on this topic are to no point, why are you, TEAL, Justin, et al., concerned enough to respond.

Read the first comment on this post carefully. In particular, pay attention to the term "cognitive dissonance." All cognitive dissonance has to resolve itself one way or another. It will either resolve in a kind of willful denial of inconvenient facts or the clarity of realization. (See: Leon Festinger, more here.) I always hold out hope for the latter.

"It's nothing but perpetuating fear."

What about TEAL's posts about death threats, the urgent need to move to Europe, and so forth? Do you think those perpetuate fear? After reading some of the comments on the previous TEAL related thread, I'm inclined to think so.

"People's past never lowers their worth."

I never said it did.

"It's easy to criticize someone who's a public figure that you don't really know."

To criticize may be easy. To employ critical thinking and analysis takes skill.

I'm curious. How do you feel about TEAL's public criticism of private figures? How do you feel about what she did to her former mother-in-law? Or Fallon aka., Jared? She holds people who are not public figures up for ridicule, shaming, shunning, and humiliation. Is that low or high level, in your opinion?

And Idan, for what it's worth, I'm neither obsessed nor resentful. Just concerned.

Another inconsistency I've noticed thanks to Justin's post above: he talks about he will will not feed resistance with more resistance, courtesy of TEAL's guidance and teaching on such matters. And yet he is in total resistance to free self-expression. He's clearly angry and has a lot to say on the subject and yet he is repressing those emotions in the name of withholding a fallacy, against his own innate desire to express himself. TEAL talks about how repressed emotions cause all manner of illness, information she's picked up elsewhere of course. And yet when one of her closest followers is feeling heated he is battling with himself. Is that not repression, by definition? See, this term "resistance" is being thrown around a lot without a clear operational definition of what it means, very little understanding evidently. And it has caused him to behave passive aggressively, speaking out by making a public post on Facebook slinging names and directing people here to do his bidding for him. So in his resistance to self-expression, because he doesn't want to feed LaVaughn's "resistance" with more "resistance", he's digging himself into a deeper hole of suffering. This is ultimately problematic and there's no sound philosophical basis to support it. Justin, something to consider.

"In any case it appears that psychic Nancy Grace (as I shall refer to her) is a skeptic about the fact that ritual abuse occurs in cults"

Actually, my skepticism applies specifically to Satanic ritual abuse. I think there's absolutely various forms of abuse in mind control cults and some of it may even be ritualized in some form or fashion. I can't think of any examples off the top of my head that I would characterize in exactly that way. But I've actually posted a good deal about "religious abuse" such as the Berholz Amish and men being held chicken coops and the like. I guess I'd just ask for a clearer definition of terms.

So... wait... he sees little value in argument but his arguments with TEAL prove that this isn't a cult and their argument addressed their shadow stuff very constructively and ultimately led to a meeting of the minds... That sounds like value to me... Maybe I need to read it again... Oh, I think I see. PRIVATE arguments are good but public debate is bad. (???) If that's what he's saying, gotta disagree.

He was studying to be a professional arguer? Was he in law school or something?

"the fact that I seemingly found this sort of skepticism unworthy of response pissed Teal off"

She seems to get pissed off a lot. So wouldn't responding to skepticism be resistance?

You're right, Dava. This "resistance" thing... They need to define their terms. Because I'm really unclear about how arguing with insurance agents in chair lifts -- taking on the hospitals and other corporate edifices and the like -- isn't resistance. It all seems a little selective. I have a nagging concern that when TEAL uses the word "resistance" she really means resisting her -- you know, like not wanting your personal wedding vows to be made public and so on.

That's as far as I'm willing to go without a good, strong cuppa and a breather. Really a lot to take in.

All of the negativity started with your original post. Why be so bitter and scathing? Why show everyone your own insecurities by writing in thought bubbles to her blog post? You did make claims, you were unnecessarily rude considering the story she's telling. At least understand that if that's what she's saying and that's the platform of her spirituality that you are asking for people to defend it rather that understand. I made my way over to this page through Justin's article, which regardless of my opinion there, was disappointed to find that you would spend so much time focusing negative emotion on someone else- and you took me down the rabbit hole for a moment. BUT it's OKAY!!! I've finished reading, and eventually I'll be finished typing this response, but I won't ever read your blog again because your opinion is negative. Your opinion is bitter. You complain. And whine. And you think far too highly of yourself despite all these things. Teal's video on finding self love- you could benefit greatly from this, regardless of if you believe her history. Change starts with you, not within others.

You're off to a solid start, LaVaughn. It's heavily laden, that's for sure.

I apologize to Idan if I was overly harsh and unkind, I'm sure you're a nice guy really. I think you've just found yourself embroiled in an avalanche of TEAL bullcrap, something causes confusion for the best of people until they weed through it. It's not personal to you but I've clearly had enough of TEAL ARMY's exclusivity and overtly cultish behaviour toward all outsiders, to the point of public ridicule whilst the leader stands idly by and lets people feed and feed and feed and...

Until someone is in "resistance" to her - OMFG - then all hell breaks lose, humiliating blogs are posted, and you are damn sure to be put in your place because no one messes with TEAL. And even when she decides she won't continue publicly shaming you, she knows the guild of TEALERS will do it on her behalf. It's sick and twisted and... I'm apt to speak out against it quite harshly at the moment, though my intentions remain for the good.

As you said LaVaughn, it's clear that resistance, in Teal Bosworth Scott Swan's terms at least, and the resistance she's teaching her followers, simply refers to resistance to doing what she wants you to do, what she deems to be "in alignment". E.g. resist judgement, show compassion and love everyone unconditionally, unless it's your ex-mother-in-law or ex-boyfriend or parents or... External appearances don't matter, unless you're discussing your sway over the public and how you've been designed to look a certain way, or you're discussing the divine feminine, or... Basically, when it serves her for it to be the case, you're in resistance. Again, the worrying thing is that people are buying this one woman's subjective opinion and viewing her based on her self-imposed title as the Spiritual Catalyst instead of considering the weight of this.

Georgia, I'd ask you the same question I asked Idan. What about TEAL's negativity and vicious attacks on private citizens like the public humiliation of poor Fallon? With all due respect, I think THAT's where the negativity started. That doesn't bother you? I mean if you're so concerned about "focusing negative emotion." Have you read her blog?! Just sayin.' It seems a little contradictory to me.

And, no, I haven't made any claims. A claim is an assertion of fact. I have made no such assertions. I've stated opinions and I've raised questions about some incongruities in TEAL's assertions of fact. If I said, for instance, that her abuse scenario is untrue, that would be a claim. But you'll note that I haven't done so. I've said I'm skeptical and laid out some of the reasons for that skepticism but that is not a claim.

How do you mean I took you "down the rabbit hole?" I'm curious. Going down a rabbit hole can actually be a good thing. (See: Alice.)

I gotta say, it amazes me how many of TEAL's followers think they can read my mind. *I'm bitter. I'm jealous. I'm insecure.* I suppose I float through all those feelings from time to time. We all have our shadow stuff, don't we? I'm pretty in touch with my shadow, actually, and in all honesty I don't think those states have any real bearing on what I've written here. I just find it interesting how many people feel the need to try to weaponize their perceptions -- projections, really -- of MY vulnerable emotions as they castigate me for being unkind to the very vulnerable Miss TEAL.

"I just find it interesting how many people feel the need to try to weaponize their perceptions -- projections, really -- of MY vulnerable emotions as they castigate me for being unkind to the very vulnerable Miss TEAL."

They do it because this is precisely the example they've been given time and time again by you-know-who. TEAL is a master at weaponizing perceived "shadow aspects" and wielding them against others to show them the error of their ways, deflecting attention away from herself and placing responsibility squarely on the other. And this is where it becomes dangerous, because you can pretty much blame anyone for anything and take all focus away from yourself, turning yourself into a sort of martyr along the way for being so righteous and holy as to be able to perceive where others need healing (or so they will have you believe). This is her sole M.O. on Shadow House and you can see it being demonstrated here by the likes of Georgia May and so on.

Teachers like Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai Lama and so on - ones who are truly lovers of The Good, who demonstrate this using their lives as their message - have never and would never exhibit such spiritually puerile behaviour, especially not toward those in disagreement with them or even their own students.

If the material in LaVaughn's articles were so unthreatening, so inaccurate, so purely based on "resistance" and blah blah blah it wouldn't even phase TEAL, nevermind cause arguments. It wouldn't be fodder for debate in TEAL's online groups. It would simply be laughed off.

"Georgia, I'd ask you the same question I asked Idan. What about TEAL's negativity and vicious attacks on private citizens like the public humiliation of poor Fallon? With all due respect, I think THAT's where the negativity started. That doesn't bother you? I mean if you're so concerned about "focusing negative emotion." Have you read her blog?! Just sayin.' It seems a little contradictory to me."

This is an essential point that bears repeating until everyone criticising these articles asks themselves these questions honestly .

"TEAL is a master at weaponizing perceived 'shadow aspects' and wielding them against others to show them the error of their ways, deflecting attention away from herself and placing responsibility squarely on the other."

Dava, you're so right. I mean, you're way more familiar with her Shadow House broadcasts than I, but I immediately flash on her discussion with Blake about his "core belief" that a mother should spend time with her child. She brought it up but immediately turned it around on him without ever addressing whether the "belief" about children needing their mothers' attention is valid and whether or not Winter gets enough attention from her. It's somehow all Blake's "problem" that he's concerned about the well-being of a small child.

Yes, you've got it exactly, that's a perfect example to describe it. It wasn't just Blake, this is generalized to everyone I've seen her interact with publicly. And I mean everyone. It's a shame the full episodes aren't archived somewhere so you could see it for yourself, but you get the idea simply from that one interaction at least.

But when do the Fallons, the ex-mother-in-laws, the Camerons, the Cheryl Keatons, and all of the others get to weaponize TEAL's behaviour back onto her, deflecting attention from themselves? When does anyone get the chance to do this? Absolutely never. And should people try it, TEAL is quite suddenly framed as the sad, defenceless victim who needs people to defend her, and "why is the world so mean?" etc. It's taboo to do unto TEAL as TEAL would do unto others. Blatant double standards.

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." ~ Voltaire

That quote kept rolling around in my head yesterday. Not saying this outpouring of hostility against me is an atrocity but it points to something really troubling. When people are secure in their belief systems, they don't fly into rages over challenges to them. It's when that cognitive dissonance get's piqued. It's when our sense of reason and those murky, unresolved questions surfacing from the unconscious collide. A very delicate balance gets tipped. The need to resolve that cognitive dissonance can result in extreme hostility to the "outsider" who's created it.

I mean consider how many people said, yeah I've always had questions about timeline and the plausibility of her abuse story, but her teachings "feel" right. I mean I'm all for putting intuition before logic, when they're in conflict, but only after I've really assessed the logic. It'd be one thing to say, I don't believe her story, but her message resonates. It's another to say, I have unresolved questions about her story, but her message resonates. At least be clear about what you're signing off on is all I'm saying.

There's a method to the madness, whether it's conscious and deliberate or not, to keeping people in a state of internal contradiction so that they must constantly defend against their own thought process.

Holly shit, girl. You really, REALLY need to find something to do with your time. Let me know if I can give you some things to take care of for me. WOW. I Thought high school was bad. You just took high school bullying to a whole nother level.

LaVaughn: I admire your pure intelligence and analytical responses to every comment. I do enjoy reading it and questioning your thoughts and Teal thoughts

May I suggest that the dilemma comes from 3 things:

1. conflict of self claimed gurus/catalysts/leaders (note: very successful and needed marketing strategy of business man and woman to project the brand)

2. Teal's mission to be accepted as a not-so-perfect guru(note: guru means perfection to us. a non-perfect guru is in its nature of the creation of this word a impossibility)

3. the natural polarization process of an increasingly known public person(the more you put out there, the more it will be questioned, the more it will create "the opposite")

Please forgive me my english - it is not my mother's language ( ;

Personally I am standing in a very interesting place right now - kind of between the chairs. I did think about all these comments here and articles and i think about many perspectives offered by Teal. Somehow both sides are right. - a strange place to be in.

The one big change for me: I took Teal gently down from the altar i put her on when i found her a year ago. It was never fair on her or me to put her there in the first place. I know do enjoy some of her brilliant interviews and ignore some of her videos without making any points. I do "allow" her now not be perfect and see her more as a friend who spits out some good or brilliant ideas and some really crappy ideas. I observe when she is messing things up, or twisting stuff around so that it fits and i am ok with it because it is her business.

I come to the conclusion that Teal's mission of the imperfect guru is wrong.i found access the IDEA behind it by putting Teal right next to me in a conversation about life. I cannot be disappointed, tricked or anything else by her nor can i be enlightened by her. It is more like listening to an interesting person to fish for the great ideas which work for me and ignore the rest. At the same time I find great enjoyment by finding a loving space inside of me when i am catching a friend on a lie or self obsessed behavior. I do wish her well. She is one of us, not higher not lower. One of us with fucking ridiculous sides and amazing sides, going through life

..in this way I thank YOU for helping me to take down the Teal statue from my altar and helping me to see a human being in her which I enjoy to listen to but also throw some of her ideas or claims into the bullshit bin...just how I do it with friends. ( : At the same time I observe the business woman Teal by projecting her brand out there into the market, following all the standard rules of creating a brand. Thanks to you I feel more grounded in regards to differentiate the BRAND Teal, the FRIEND Teal and the HUMAN Teal. Thanks for that LV

"It is more like listening to an interesting person to fish for the great ideas which work for me and ignore the rest. At the same time I find great enjoyment by finding a loving space inside of me when i am catching a friend on a lie or self obsessed behavior. I do wish her well. She is one of us, not higher not lower."

I have to tell you, justathought, that I think that's a great place to be. I've studied with a number of people through the years and I've learned it goes better when you view them as equals and fallible human beings."Message not the messenger." It works both ways: with good messages and bad, with good messengers and bad. Truth is something you find in yourself.

In the interest of transparency, I'd like to lay out my thought process a bit, as to why I've written these posts about TEAL. I'd like to set the record straight as people have made a range of assumptions based on nothing but their projections... and a fair bit of sexist reductionism.

So, why. I do sit with it, just as I did when I blogged the James Ray Sweat Lodge Trial, which was a rather mad undertaking. Now that, unlike these posts, was a time consuming endeavor. And like so many things, I just started doing it before I really understood why, aside from curiosity... and a basic moral opposition to cooking people to death.

That one had its genesis in what I consider the dangerously bad metaphysics presented in The Secret, but that's not where it ended up. What I realized a good way in was that what is unresolved for me is that I've been had, too. I've also been led down the garden path by spiritual leaders and teachers. Some of it was very painful and it's something I'm still processing. But as a result, there are some patterns that are very transparent to me.

Those experiences also gave rise to a fascination with cult dynamics, the psychology of influence, and the kind of continuum which runs from persuasion to manipulation to coercion. Today, I'm a big believer in killing the Buddha on the road. Charismatic leaders make me nervous. But charismatic leaders who publicly berate and humiliate people from their pedestals make me very, very nervous. Again, I just have a basic moral opposition to that kind of thing and it reaches a point where I can hold my tongue no longer.

You didn't make any claims!? Hahaha. Not outright you didn't but there were plenty of subtle implications just like your reference to 'so many winged monkeys' implying she is a wicked witch. OK you do not outright claim she is wicked or a witch but none-the-less you in fact do :).

And how pathetic and pedantic to point out an obscure grammar point (who versus whom). It is little snidey comments like that that show your true colours really, your true hater credentials.

Do you really not know enough about Teal's ideas, or many teachers of New Age ideas, to know what is being reffered to here? Maybe you could take the time to read Teal's book Sculptor in the Sky and at least learn what she is teaching before laying into her full clawed?

"Many of them have long been frustrated by their inability to raise these questions on her pages without having their comments deleted or lost to the black hole of eternal moderation."

That is completely untrue. I have often raised issues on the Teal facebook group Love of Teal Scott Society, even to the point where I have been quite heavily criticised and attacked by some Tealers, who I agree, can be quite fanatical. Once even Teal herself was pretty upset with me and we had a bit of an online argument where she seemed quite hurt by my comments (tho I tried quite hard to make clear I was not trying to attack her). I never once had the impression from her that she had anything other than respect for free speech and freedom generally. Even though she felt attacked I noticed she never attacked me, or called down many volunteers on my head. One word from her then I would have been banned for sure.

I know of only two people who have been banned, except obvious spammers, and they were both absolute trolls I am sure. OTOH I know of quite a few people, like myself, who voice reasonable concerns with some teachings, and even outright criticisms, who are widely tolerated by the community on that group, even perhaps valued.

Recently Teal interacted with one of these people who was coming across quite insulting to be fair. Teal tried to have a reasonable conversation with them but that didn't seem to be on the cards, so Teal simply exited very politely. There then followed an adult discussion from others with varying views.

The bottom line is Teal very clearly encourages people to think critically and for themselves. Yes, she really does!

ROTFLMAO!!! That's right, Justin. I'm asserting as a matter of fact that TEAL is really the Wicked Witch because that's what I believe. I tried to squeak it by but ya got me. You heard it here first. She's the Wicked Witch of the West.

Do you really not know enough about Teal's ideas, or many teachers of New Age ideas, to know what is being reffered to here?"

Justin, I'm familiar enough with TEAL's material to know that she talks about being in alignment with different things, positive and negative.

"Greed causes people to make decisions that are in alignment with profit but not necessarily in alignment with what is good for our world. " ~ http://blog.thespiritualcatalyst.com/i-changed-my-mind/

"The most important thing is that we must stay in alignment with out own sense of integrity; and we are the only ones capable of defining the parameters of our own personal integrity." ~ http://blog.thespiritualcatalyst.com/fall-in-love-with-money-and-you-will-make-money/

"In hands-on work, through touching in different rhythms, through placement of attention within specific layers of the body, through noticing existing patterns of energy and suggesting new ones, and through changes in the pressure and quality of our touch, we can assist a person to come into alignment with the truest expression of themselves." ~ http://blog.thespiritualcatalyst.com/feeling-and-the-lack-there-of/

"That is completely untrue. I have often raised issues on the Teal facebook group Love of Teal Scott Society, even to the point where I have been quite heavily criticised and attacked by some Tealers, who I agree, can be quite fanatical."

Justin, you're part of her inner circle. Not everyone is treated the way you are. And I read the conversation with Cheryl Keaton, which I suspect is what you're referring to. I disagree with your take on it. If you scroll up you can see where Dava and I discussed it. The most disturbing part was the pile-on which TEAL could have stopped with a word. Instead she left this woman to be insulted with repeated comments about how she just needed to get laid and the like. So that was lovely. I have yet to see TEAL discourage the "fanatical" behavior you refer to. And she certainly could.

Many people have expressed that their reasonable comments have never made it out of moderation. There are a number of references in the comments on the previous post. I also posted a screenshot of a comment that was deleted from YouTube. There's a noticeable limit on just how much dissent will be tolerated.

O Justin... Case in point... Two of my comments on her blog post from today initially made it through moderation... However, When I checked back, they were deleted... Sound familiar?? Justin, YOU were probably the one who deleted them!

Hmmm.... Melanie Magnus who posted above is also in Teal's inner circle. I believe she is the neighbor who Teal mentions she has gotten close to in her blog. One of Teal's earliest blog entries mentions that Melanie's daughter was Teal's son best and only friend... SO, it would seem so far that only Teal's inner circle is responding to this blog... IDAN, Justin, Melanie, and Lovely Girl... who is most likely BONNIE, Graciela, or Flavia seeing as Lovely girl mentioned the exact same website about ritual abuse YESTERDAY that Teal herself posted at the end of her blog post TODAY. SO, lemme guess how this all came about... Last nite Teal had her inner circle over so she could have a private audience for her lil sob story, poor me, defenseless victim meltdown. In said meltdown, regarding how MEAN LaVaugn is, and how Teal needs people around her who will defend her honor, Justin (the most articulate in Teal's circle I might add) pissed Teal off by saying he didn't want to engage using the logic inherent in Teal's own teachings... TEAL then made JUSTIN feel like dirt through her manipulative lines of logic, her feigned vulnerability, and unsaid threats to withdraw her love if he doesn't come around to her way of thinking... (Teal clearly withdraws her approval and love WHENEVER things don't go her way) I believe Teal calls it "a meeting of minds".. AKA TEAL's way or the HIGHWAY... SO today it is clear that Justin is desperately trying to repent and earn the approval and love back from his cult leader TEAL by publicly defending TEAL'S name while unfairly projecting his true suppressed anger at TEAL to 'that bitch' LaVaughn... JUSTIN, HONEY, you seem soo intelligent... YOU have soo much potential, and don't have to settle for this... PUT DOWN the KOOL-AID and go back home... I promise that life WILL be better, and have more clarity after this whole TEAL cult experience subsides. Life will NOT end in suicide as Teal has no doubt has led you to believe by now.. I have faith in you!!!

Interesting, HolisticHealer. So these are just her besties. I wonder if that's why she's now written an entire blog post to misrepresent what I wrote and play the *I suffered the tortures of the damned -- How dare you doubt me -- It hurts -- It hurts* card. She's really upped the ante on her standard emotional blackmail tactic. Ritual abuse is just like the Holocaust. Yes, we've advanced to Reductiio ad Hitlerum -- only one of my favorite logical fallacies.

LaVaughn LOL My comment on her blog today that was deleted was more eloquent and diplomatic than I can paraphrase here... I explained something to the effect of you not saying you don't believe in ritual abuse, you just aren't convinced that the narrative again mentioned in her blog that she repeats over and over( verbatim almost as if it is rehearsed I might add) actually happened to HER. There is a big difference between being abused and using to the stories of other people's abuse to get rich, gain fame, and promote your career. I asked why she chooses to play the victim card instead of responding to the evidence you presented instead. I then asked if she had even read your actual blog, and left a link to this very post just in case she hadn't...BOTH comments DELETED

HolisticHealer, they may have deleted your comment because of the direct link. Notice she hasn't posted one. But it's more likely that it's because you tried to set the record straight.

To be fair, what I said was that the FBI has never been able to verify a single case of SATANIC ritual abuse. I don't know if it exists or not but I'm dubious. I just don't think Satanism is a real thing. It's a boogie man. Except Satanic Panic has ruined lives, and that HAS been documented and proven. It would depend on how ritual abuse is being defined whether or not I think it's very credible. Just saying, real crimes leave evidence.

But TEAL would have you believe that a complex network of cooperating Mormons and Satanists maintained a criminal network for years in which many people were tortured and abused and children were murdered but left no evidence and no one but TEAL has had the guts to come forward. And it was a crime as horrific as the Holocaust. Not saying it's not true. Saying I don't know and that it strains credulity. Oh and she was brainwashed like the Manchurian Candidate or something. Yeah. It strains credulity.

I think this is a microcosm of a whole world needing better critical thinking skills. So Teal is still defending her satanic ritual abuse story. It sounds truly horrific. But when I listened to the Bob Salter interview, it just sounded like she was lying. Why? I don't know. I've guessed that it is rage against her parents or religious indoctrination, basically describing clergy as satanic. But am I to be ashamed of doubting her story? No. And the thing I hate to say, but highly suspect, is that it truly is a fictional story used for whatever reasons. Maybe she was traumatized and this story just ballooned over the years until it became part of her identity. But it seems more likely a fiction she uses to barrier herself from reality and boost her own "career." Why do I suspect this? Because people seem to be doing it everywhere these days. Like that Bashar guy. Or David Icke (who believes satanism is a global epidemic of absurd proportions to anyone with a thinking brain). Or Mark Booth, author of The Secret History of the World, who claims to have been informed by an unnamed Masonic insider about an esoteric and often absurd revision of history. Sure, I took some delight in both Icke's book and Booth's, but they mess with truth too much, as if they enjoy revolting against everything, and are...IMHO, liars and poorly informed in many areas, even sinister. Same with Castaneda, other would be shamanistic healers.

I think its healthy to have a strong aversion to dishonesty, as with other forms of evil. We hate what is evil, and avoid it. That's human nature. Why is that being twisted into some kind of emotional misalignment? Even the Dalai Lama is not pure. He hasn't publicly condemned self-immolations of monks. And at least 100 have died doing this in Tibet. Despite his wonderful books and projects and ideas, why not tell Tibetans to not kill themselves?

To present to the world a hard-to-believe tale of oneself naturally deserves some criticism. That's why so many people are trying to decipher Teal. Was she trying to be like others who found success and admiration by being obfuscatory or outright psychotic?

What's wrong with people setting up a few boundaries? It almost feels like emotional vampirism, Teal drawing in all this attention and drama and chaos. I wish her and her little clan the best, but just give us a break will ya? Doubt can be a wonderful liberating thing and won't unravel the universe or anyone's soul. Most of us need to process and heal trauma from childhood or whenever. I still struggle at times. Who doesn't? And it appears Teal needs to heal, and I am simply unconvinced of her story. Which is fine. I have no need to believe Teal. If there was more evidence, I might believe. But it seems like a fiction, a story blown way out of proportion to what probably happened in reality.

Oh and you nailed it here LaVaughn:"When people are secure in their belief systems, they don't fly into rages over challenges to them. It's when that cognitive dissonance get's piqued. It's when our sense of reason and those murky, unresolved questions surfacing from the unconscious collide. A very delicate balance gets tipped. The need to resolve that cognitive dissonance can result in extreme hostility to the "outsider" who's created it."

Weird, I just turned on the TV and End of Days is on, and Udo Kier was telling some girl on the phone "its all in your head." More strange synchronicity with Teal. I sure hope this satanic ritual thing is fake..

LaVaughn, I agree it strains credulity... Even IF we were to entertain the idea that what she said actually happened.... Are we also supposed to believe that these invisible criminal masterminds... these cult members who SHALL NOT BE NAMED are soo good at covering up evidence, but they are going to let someone who they clearly put the time and effort into programming and torturing just walk off into the sunset free and clear to keep their secrets and to wax rhapsodic as a survivor turned spiritual teacher in the public eye??? C'mon, if these cult members are as good at covering their tracks as she says, are you telling me she herself wouldn't be dead in an accident by now??? ALSO, if these crimes actually happened, do you really believe she couldn't have blown the lid off of their evil deeds by releasing more evidence to police??? ARE we really to believe that all this happened to TEAL over 13 years and she was ALWAYS a hapless victim and NEVER a willing participant??? YOU are DAMN RIGHT Teal's story strains credulity.

I should add that I personally went through some traumatic experiences in my early twenties. For about six years afterwards, I suppressed it all, but perseverated on it all the time. It seemed to overshadow everything, and how I saw the world and everyone in it. Eventually i had a psychotic meltdown. Looking back, I had morphed my enemies into a satanic coven. But I feel healed all these years later. Perhaps Teal's emphasis on revealing anger hints at the possibility that her fiction is a product of rage. Maybe by people with similar experiences, sharing with Teal, can help her heal too.

Mark, I had a clinical social worker friend who posited what I thought was a great possible explanation for a lot of the "recovered memories" of Satanic ritual abuse. His theory was that in some instances when children have been sexually abused and they are exploring those memories later in therapy, they access the archetype of Satan. What they've experienced is horrifically evil. it would be a reasonable archetype to have come up. I'm not sure where I stand on the whole repressed memory theory but I do think memory is a creative function and can get wildly distorted, especially when adults are trying to remember things about childhood.

I don't know. Food for thought anyway.

As far as David Icke goes, I do have a certain affection. I think a lot of what he says is implausible but the one thing I don't really question is that he believes it. I think he's absolutely genuine. I don't think anyone would put himself through what he did after he had his experience at Machu Piccu lest it were genuine. I think the poor guy was having kundalini crisis and they can be rough. I think his work is a fascinating blend of deep, insightful, spiritual truth and batshit insane paranoia. He's a fascinating character.

For sure, Satan is a powerful archetype. I think Jung called it the last unexplored archetype, and his "Red Book" has just been released, which I want to read. For a lot of time I saw the world as a battleground between Christ and Satan, but that can lead to a lot of delusion and demonizing of people, who may have their dark sides, but are still human. I'm fortunate to not have been sexually abused. I would bet Teal has been. People do horrible things to each other. Maybe Icke does believe all that stuff. He's pretty funny with all the reptilian stuff. A lot of leaders really are psychopaths. I thought that him calling all religions reptilian-caused was a little stretch, and he didn't seem to have any scientific sense, but a lot of admirable rage against the machine. I've wondered about kundalini sometimes, and if mine is off. I had an experience once of feeling each chakra open, but I wondered if my kundalini was not in alignment, like a wandering snake or something. I've heard of people having serious problems when working with kundalini. I think BAshar is the motion picture industry guy who claims to channel an alien? If haven't listened to him I don't think, but it just seemed too far fetched.

Thanks LaVaughn for responding to my comments, and others. And for not deleting them :).

I am not the same Justin who lives with Teal and I'm also not here by her request or any kind of prompting from Teal. When the first article about her came out I decided not to respond to it because I didn't want to lend it any power. This time I thought maybe it is time to respond. It seems you have got what you crave to steal from Teal, a little of the lime light. Teal just points out that you join a long list of those who have tried to steal from her.

'Just recently, for instance, we learned that she is a "leader of the New Age."'

Is she a leader? Yes. In which spiritual area? The New Age. So exactly what problem do you have with that statement? I suspect it is that Teal doesn't need to wait for anyone else to say the obvious and the true. She doesn't timidly wait for permission from pundits to state that which is the case. She does not allow fear to stop speaking what she sees as the truth. That includes the fear that she might be thought big-headed or arrogant. She is a leader of the New Age (she may even be 'the' leading thinker of the New Age at this time, that is a matter of opinion, that she is *a* leader is not).

She sincerely believes herself to be a luminary, if she didn't believe that she shouldn't be teaching at all surely. Should she then lie, in a sense, by keeping such a belief about herself quiet? Surely it is far better that she express such beliefs and others can know where she is coming from. Do you have any potentially grandiose beliefs you would have the courage to share LaVaughn? It might do you and your readers good :).

As to 'poignant'. Firstly thank God for someone with a vocabularly first, like yourself! It is something I love about Teal. I relearnt the word 'epic' from her recently and it is quite a treasure to be sure. I think she was using it in this sense "Evoking strong mental sensation, to the point of distress; emotionally moving." What do you find arrogant about that use, or are we reaching the edges of your own English knowledge here?

As to the discussion with Cheryl, I'm glad you saw that. So you are a member of the group, and haven't been banned? Interesting. Of course it is because you hide your identity so cleverly, right? Or is it that dissent is tolerated?

There were a few unpleasant and childish comments from people directed to Cheryl, who most of us know is a sincere and good hearted person. I think it would be very arrogant of Teal to say to us 'hey please behave in this way' and be more polite. She is not setting herself above us in that way. Occaisionally such leadership might be useful but in the long run, and Teal seems to know this, it may lead to the formation of cult-like characteristics. Teal leads mainly by example, which is a much safer method. What was her example? Did she attack? No. Did she attempt to open a dialogue? Yes. Did she ban Cheryl? No. Did she call for any support or attacks from others? No.

@Justin. Oh come on man, please get real. From the outset. Teals career she has been labelled all over the place with little spells to control how she wants to be regarded and cement them in the psyche of the people following her. This was DELIBERATE manipulation. It was just as self appointing as the title"Leader Of The New Age Movement" No one else termed her this at any time until she suggested it for herself in one of her blogs because it resonated with her.

Jason Freedman?, I think you may know him Justin was calling Teal "One of the most influential leaders of the new age" and that was back in 2011 before she had made her first video ASK TEAL video.

So don't tell lies and say your crew don't collude in order to embellish her career before it's been earned in order to manipulate reality. Luminary, Catalyst, Spiritual Revolutionary, Leader of the New Age are all titles that have been put out there for the sole purpose of marketing Teal.

Those titles have been self awarded to steer opinion on who and what Teal wants to be known as. You're a bunch of liars if you think the public decided any of these terms, it was Teal and her crew who wrote every one of those terms to make Teal famous as a business strategy and it was morally wrong.

Another thing Justin, you haven't lived with Teal that long so you don't know her that well. I mean, your brainwashed replies like"Maybe you could take the time to read Teal's book Sculptor in the Sky and at least learn what she is teaching before laying into her full clawed?" is a typical Teal loyalist response where only Teals written word has credibility over anyone elses.

I need to remind you that Teals book is not a best seller and has no major reviewers on the cover calling her a spiritual revolutionary of our time. Now that would be different from calling yourself that title wouldn't it Justin?

Anyway, I am glad you have made contact with the outside world, made a bridge to contrasting opinion, it can only be good for you.

I wish you well, I hope you get money in the future to make you happy but do it and keep your integrity. You're a nice person but something is amiss and I have to say something. I wish you joy, you've had a hard life and I don't want you to suffer more.

If I am proved wrong Justin I will be the first to regret my words and condemnation and accept how skewed my vision had become for making me question a most decent and incorruptible group of people with only the best of intentions for humanity.

" Teal just points out that you join a long list of those who have tried to steal from her. "

Really? What has been stolen from Teal? and where was this written?

I never stole her childhood you fucking cheeky bastard. How dare you, how dare Teal. Let's go there, I'm happy to be the accused and thrash this out.

May I point out that Teal is a business and nothing beyond that. The spiritual stuff is only to convenience her business plans. Teal was born on the day of the capitalist and loves money and think there's nothing wrong with being selfish.

Teal is using her background of abuse to play victim at every opportunity in an attempt to prevent any, absolutely any kind of questioning. Teal has no right to instil guilt into anyone who asks reasonable questions and then make out she is a vulnerable target. This is what she is doing, it is a dreadful thing to do and it is an attempt to make her untouchable and uncountable. I am sick and tired of being constantly reminded of Teals harrowing past but at the same time hearing an argumentative, self righteous, arrogant and bold business woman who is more than ready to take on the corporations? GIVE ME A BREAK!

Teal is a MASTER manipulator.

In her shadow house video she said "I got into this business so I could dance with people's minds" I'll bet you did Teal and I know your predictable dance routines. You are more conspicuous to me than you might realize.

DANCE isn't the word. Let's see if Teal gets any TV deals once they have a look at her resume and all this controversy. One thing is for SURE. You will not make me out to be bullying an abuse victim. Teal is a FOX an foxes are cunning.

Do you honestly think people are saying all this stuff to be deliberately mean and steal from her?

Jared loved the little fox noises Teal made when she was sleeping. Awww so cute and endearing, how could anyone say anything bad about Teal?

Enough is enough, no more emotional blackmail. Teal has as much access to mental health support services as the rest of us. Get back into therapy Teal and stop using your background to play victim and prevent discussion like this blog has encouraged.

At the back of Teals book on the self help lists, The Sculptor In The Sky, Teal says that it's alright to question, so we will, go and check that out for yourself JUSTIN.

"When the first article about her came out I decided not to respond to it because I didn't want to lend it any power."

I'll bet you didn't want to lend it any power because it was already very powerful and compelling and full of TRUTH, that is why you shied away from it. And to date, no one has had the BALLS to dispute anything La Vaugh has written.

Instead you've all played the bullshit card about lending things more power or people clearly being in resistance or unable to have a meeting of minds.

You are without doubt the most manipulative bunch of people who are incapable of being honest. If people were saying this about me I would be defending myself to the hilt not coming on here with the slimy superior bullshit and accusing people of stealing from Teal. What garbage.

Do you have an agenda Justin?, does your livelihood depend on this business? It's amazing what people will defend for financial reasons, I imagine. It's Teals career remember, it's a business, not a recognized CHARITY doing good works.

I'm going to say it once again so you get it in your head. IT IS A BUSINESS.

Don't come on here again and try the guilt tripping or the emotional blackmail. If you're going to come back here, then come with some answers to put us in our place not accuse people of stealing, you fool. We want answers, we don't want manipulators, do you understand me Justin?

Here's another thing while I remember. Teal on a particlar video publicly claimed that she gave her savings to her ex husband Mark and there was some resentment about that from Teal. Now, this perhaps being the truth, do you think it is something you should disclose on an interview? Or God damn it, is this just another example of TEAL trying to publicly humiliate a former partner in a passive aggressive, manipulative manner while coming out smelling of roses?

Another thing while I am here, for all you people who doubt Teals belief in herself or her POWER over the vulnerability and victimhood she portrays.

Let's watch a segment here where Teal quite confidently displays her prowess (not victimhood) over men and her like of men who dominate. She also incredibly admits to emasculating men and whittling down their power. WOW!

And you all attack La Vaughn as if Teal is a poor little soul who is powerless. Now, cue the video at 10:25

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-dAjRohStg

How many of Teals partners are/were incredibly domineering? ZERO

How many abuse victims come out as assertive women? I haven't known any and I have know a few. Do correct me if I am wrong in your opinion.

Okay, Justin (not TEAL's housemate), perhaps you could tell us which Justin you are. It's okay if want to continue to hide behind Yahoo Open ID. I have no rules against such things. But I am not hiding in plain sight on TEAL's Facebook page. We are not friends. And I sincerely doubt if we had been she would not have unfriended me at this point -- and probably long before I made her relive the Holocaust or whatever. I noticed Ms. Keaton and she are no longer friends, by whose choice I cannot say.

It's interesting, don't you think, which posts remain public and which are kept private on TEAL's page. So no, I did not see that discussion on TEAL's page. Could not do. But my spies are everywhere. ;-

P1: "When people are secure in their belief systems, they don't fly into rages over challenges to them. It's when that cognitive dissonance get's piqued. It's when our sense of reason and those murky, unresolved questions surfacing from the unconscious collide. A very delicate balance gets tipped. The need to resolve that cognitive dissonance can result in extreme hostility to the "outsider" who's created it."This sums it up perfectly, LaVaughn. It’s exactly what’s happening in the Teal camp. ‘Nuff said.I’m intrigued by the drama being conjured up by Teal and her army, especially because it accompanies a staunch stance that your material is bunk, LaVaughn. I don’t know if Teal and her followers are bothering to read the comments in addition to the articles (I would say not bloody likely after reading Justin’s comments. Justin: you’re accusing LaVaughn of not reading Sculptor in the Sky, which I have read and can confirm is mostly a collection of information from primary sources that have not been cited, which is interesting as it doesn’t appear that you have gone through all 450+ comments under LaVaughn’s first article or read your way through all of the comments here either. It seems you have not really considered all information that has been presented. But then again, I know who you are from all you’ve said publicly in Teal’s online groups, Justin Holme, and we’ll get to that later.)I want to explain that I was once under the spell of Teal Scott and so am reacting from a place of having thoroughly studied her and her work, having once admired her, and the revolting feeling that accompanied witnessing her reveal much more sinister underpinnings over time. She was never put on a pedestal by me, there was no worship whatsoever, she was always simply a young woman who had interesting things to say that I enjoyed. Until what she was saying and doing became clearly destructive. I want to clarify that I am 90% sure she is not doing any damage with malicious intent, I frankly don’t think she’s even aware of what she’s doing. I also see that she has surrounded herself by people who blow smoke up her ass instead of being honest with her about things, that they are enabling and encouraging her. It’s similar to what celebrities often talk about in interviews, that they need honest, grounded friends around them because the fame industry tends to bring out people who *want* to disempower themselves to a famous figure; they *want* acceptance and admiration by association with the figure who’s being admired by the masses and so they will do whatever they can to stay in his/her good books. They may even believe the lies they’re telling are true, so deluded they become. Justin Holme, though not at all included in Teal’s inner circle, is a victim of just that. Again, we’ll get to that later.What the people feeding Teal’s head are missing is that they are creating a monster. Not only is she not famous in a true sense, she’s unstable and unwell. Yes, I give her credit for being a functioning member of society as I do believe she has experienced trauma in her childhood that has caused her to the self-proclaimed “suffering artist type” as she puts it, which really simply translates into the fact that she struggles to find any happiness in life thanks to the pain she still feels over her past. Ritual abuse or not, I cannot say, but something happened to her. I mentioned in a previous post the idea of conflabulation, which may very well be the culprit here. This isn’t a condition that warrants blame, it’s simply a coping mechanism the mind uses to survive. So whether her story about the abuse is true or not, this is about much more than that.

P2: And this is why I’m so surprised that Teal and her camp have chosen to focus solely on LaVaughn mentioning that she is not convinced of Teal’s abuse stories? What about all of the other issues that have been presented in these articles? There are so many issues, it’s not just about the truth or untruth of the abuse. How is it so blatantly obvious to most of us that attention is being deflected, and that it’s actually WORKING, away from the rest of the material in favour of painting Ms. Swan to be a defenceless victim, and yet Teal’s army continuously dodge these points and respond in comments here and elsewhere with absolutely no sound logical basis to defend their points of view? I, too, value and base my life around my inner knowing, my intuition and feelings are primary to me. But NOT at the expense of rational, clear discernment. Not at the expense of the wonderful faculty of the mind, which is as much a gift as our sixth sense. This is where I feel the New Age community falls desperately short: they discount everything they associate with normalcy, with grounded human experience, in favour of the unseen and intangible, thus causing terribly imbalanced lives. The amount of times I’ve read messages from starseeds saying in jest, but mostly in truth, “take me off this planet”, “I don’t belong here”, “I can’t wait until I can astral travel/ETs come to live on our planet” and whatever else denoting a desire for escapism and disdain for our beautiful human life and this gorgeous planet spells out in plain English that these people are mired in suffering and using this “movement” as a means to try and escape themselves. It’s a complete bastardization of spirituality, which is holistic. But I digress yet again. And this is why I’m so surprised that Teal and her camp have chosen to focus solely on LaVaughn mentioning that she is not convinced of Teal’s abuse stories? What about all of the other issues that have been presented in these articles? There are so many issues, it’s not just about the truth or untruth of the abuse. How is it so blatantly obvious to most of us that attention is being deflected, and that it’s actually WORKING, away from the rest of the material in favour of painting Ms. Swan to be a defenceless victim, and yet Teal’s army continuously dodge these points and respond in comments here and elsewhere with absolutely no sound logical basis to defend their points of view? I, too, value and base my life around my inner knowing, my intuition and feelings are primary to me. But NOT at the expense of rational, clear discernment. Not at the expense of the wonderful faculty of the mind, which is as much a gift as our sixth sense. This is where I feel the New Age community falls desperately short: they discount everything they associate with normalcy, with grounded human experience, in favour of the unseen and intangible, thus causing terribly imbalanced lives. The amount of times I’ve read messages from starseeds saying in jest, but mostly in truth, “take me off this planet”, “I don’t belong here”, “I can’t wait until I can astral travel/ETs come to live on our planet” and whatever else denoting a desire for escapism and disdain for our beautiful human life and this gorgeous planet spells out in plain English that these people are mired in suffering and using this “movement” as a means to try and escape themselves. It’s a complete bastardization of spirituality, which is holistic. But I digress yet again.

P3: Teal and co.: you will gain much more credibility and respect from not only me but countless others if you stop this charade of deflection and omission and simply address the concerns that have been raised in LaVaughn’s articles. Cut the bullshit “resistance” excuse, stop your “I’m too spiritual for that” crap and be honest. You have claimed time and again that you want transparency. In fact, it’s what you based your entire Shadow House mission on. And yet NOW you are being requested repeatedly to come clean, to truly become transparent, and you will not. Justin Samuel Olaguer, Justin Holme, Blake Dyer/Jason Freedman, Graciela Hernandez, Bonnie Fiona Haskin, Flavia Paiva, Helena C Carter, Sarbdeep Singh Swan, Melanie Magnus, Idan Levy and everyone else that is choosing to take this on behind the scenes amongst the safe embrace of the Teal cult instead of head on, in full integrity and honesty: consider the bigger picture of what has been presented here in its fullest, ask yourself the pertinent questions, and speak your truth. Enough with going around slinging names at LaVaughn and anyone else who chooses to disagree with Teal. All of you and your community claim to be in full integrity, you base your entire identity on being “in alignment” and “high vibration” and yet YOU ARE ACTING LIKE FASCIST HYPOCRITES. Based on the demonstration of your behaviour, it is NOT okay to raise concerns and be critical of a public figure who is presenting herself with high levels of authority and responsibility (i.e. LaVaughn) because that makes you “low-vibration”, a bitch, a wannabe, a hater, jealous, and basically opens you up to all kinds of personal attack with no evidence or basis for said attacks. Do you not see that you are not rising up in love and compassion in the face of LaVaughn’s articles, but you are in fact sinking lower and lower? You are the very things you claim to be against. Your shadows are front and centre. You are no better than the persons you sit around slinging insults at online. Cut the bullshit high vibration claims because you have shown your true colours and you all need to recognize how disgusting your behaviour has been. Teal, Blake et al., your failure to address these concerns in the interest of taking responsibility and in the interest of maintaining integrity against your claims of total honest and transparency speaks volumes. You are skewing spiritual teachings to justify your actions and in the process you are doing not only yourselves but your followers a huge disservice. The truth will set you free. The way you’re handling this currently will follow and haunt your entire career, Teal. Justin Holme, on what you’ve said above: I used to be in Teal’s Facebook groups and I witnessed the exchange you had with her in its ENTIRETY. I was floored by the abuse you took from the community. You were hung up and stones were thrown, so aggressive was the judgment and criticism you received. You seemed to ignore the vast majority of it, but I recall you expressing pain at feeling so harshly received by the community. You expressed a lot of confusion. I will grant you this, that Teal handled it with grace and was trying to keep your attention amidst the chaotic frenzy of abusive comments from the others. She took you through a shadow process, got you to engage in a lot of self-enquiry, and was ultimately very respectful. But how you can say that for a second you haven’t seen firsthand the cult-like behaviour that involves crucifying anyone who speaks out against the community’s beliefs is a boldfaced lie...

P4: I have watched people’s reactions to you MYSELF. What I also remember from the exchange you had with Teal in the Facebook group is that by the end you told her that you loved her and that you wanted to prove it to her, which is why you had sent her DVDs. You repeatedly asked her, “Did you get ___ and ___ that I sent you?” You seemed desperate for her approval. She was not receptive, from what I remember, and was having none of it. I’ve seen you mentioning elsewhere about sending her gifts in the post. You seem to come to her defence and kiss up whenever given the chance, despite everything. So what are we really talking about here, Justin? Are you not seeking love and acceptance from a charismatic figure of beauty and authority yourself? I’ve seen you mentioning that you studied philosophy and so your curiosity and questioning of Teal is admirable. And yet I’ve witnessed you being talked into changing your opinions based on Teal’s explanations. I sincerely question whether, given some space and time, you would see that the logic isn’t there. She is masterful at convincing others to believe in what she believes, but you understand surely, being at least somewhat adept at philosophy, that you are internalizing subjective opinions. If they suit you, that’s wonderful and I’m happy for you. It’s simply that I’ve witnessed you going for questions and having your head spun and I wonder if you’re a sincere seeker who has simply fallen prey to manipulation, like so many others, by a charismatic and influential leader. She uses circular logic so that you can’t find your way out, and also so that it can be sculpted depending on what suits you/her at the time. As far as the Cheryl Keaton attack on Teal Swan’s Facebook page from the other day: you claimed that she was treated respectfully, that the conversation was adult and ripe full of learning for everyone. Justin, you’re lying. That is what Teal said later on in the thread, the next day, and rather than looking at the evidence, really seeing the behaviour of the public, you’ve gone along with what she has said. Keaton commented, “So let's all walk on eggshells even though she drills into all her friends... The audacity!” That is evident, plain as day. This is what we’re talking about:Graciela Hernandez: Cheryl taking someone's vulnerability and using it against them is one of the nastiest things you can do. That is exactly what you are doing by taking Teal's blogs and using them against her.Why is it that Cheryl Keaton is being nasty, attacking a victim, by questioning Teal, and yet she is free to do this to whomever she pleases at any given moment? See: Shadow House episodes with Blake, Fallon, Cameron, Graciella, et al. Argue that one philosophically, please. People are allowed to comment on Teal’s public blogs but ONLY if they are in agreement with her. If they are not in agreement with her but are willing to make themselves available to be argued against until they become compliant with her opinion, THEN it’s okay, then it’s valuable. Then you are “high-vibe”. This is dangerous rationale.

Teal then commented: “I love how much people learn just from a comment thread. The reason I did not disable this comment thread is because it provided an interesting opportunity for people to question themselves by questioning others. It served as some healthy contrast that enabled us all to feel our personal truth emanating from within us. By trying to understand the dynamics of this interaction, we understand much more about ourselves.15 January at 04:07 • Like • 28”She did NOT ever come to anyone’s defence, never pointed out that these are all differences of opinion and that it was not part of her value system, mission or personal ethics to attack people in the way the community did of Keaton. She addressed herself only and all others were left out to dry. Tell me that isn’t evidence of Teal enabling worshipping behaviour?Justin, just look through Teal’s groups and the replies she receives in support of her teachings. The vast majority of them are young adults who learned of her through Spirit Science, or else they are newbies on the spiritual path. The vast majority of Teal’s teachings lack fundamental information, are full of holes, and lack any real depth. I understand from your public exchanges in the groups that you, too, are new to spiritual philosophy. So, with that, I send a genuine warning to be careful of wolves in sheep’s clothing because they are everywhere in the “spiritual” community. Everywhere. You must know who Derren Brown is, right? These teachers use similar tricks and the truth is that they work. They are also easy to use. The human mind is very open to suggestion, it wants to believe certain things. But weigh it against your own discernment, your own truth, always. Don’t fall prey to appearances. I once let myself be convinced by a self-professed spiritual teacher who used NLP techniques, hypnosis, and other cult mind-control tactics that are simple to employ to convince students of his status to the tune of thousands of dollars a year. They, too, would not even entertain any logic that clearly pointed out they had been taken in by a sick man. The cognitive dissonance was too much, as it often is in these cases.I could go on, but really, if you spend time considering all information presented throughout all 500+ comments (in total), and both articles, that will suffice. Something is amiss. As I said, if Teal were not making herself public as a self-described Spiritual Catalyst etc. then this subject wouldn’t matter, she could do as she pleases. But given the fact that she can now convince people of anything, that she has so much influence over so many, all of this is absolutely necessary to air out for others to consider.

I was making my coffee a few minutes ago and I had an idea I wanted to share with you, in case you're interested, take it or leave it. I haven't had my coffee yet so forgive me if it comes out a little jumbled...

I was thinking about how defensive people get on the whole Teal subject, and why that is... It occurs to me that maybe it's because in a way she gives a lot of people hope. People hear her story and feel empowered by it, if she can "beat those odds" maybe they can too.

I think they start to get angry because they might feel betrayed by Teal when the story starts to fall apart, and that hopeless feeling starts to return. That's probably a space a lot of people don't want to go back to, so they live in denial about the story crumbling, but they still have to direct that anger somewhere.

Somehow the phrase "Don't shoot the messenger" comes to mind. A lot of people are taking this stuff very personally and it might be a good idea to ask why that is?

I was just thinking about my thought process through all of this, how my emotions came into play when I was trying to figure out where I stand on all this Teal stuff.

Teal attracts a lot of people who are seeking answers and help and feel a little alienated from mainstream sources, and I think a lot of them are generally really good people who are just looking for help.

Maybe what's required is a change of focus, or at least an addition to it; something that will restore that sense of hope? Maybe you could look at it like a Teal rehab of sorts :P People are going to Teal to fill something inside that's missing. When that gets taken away, what do you fill it with? I saw you mention Maryann Williamson before, when I checked her out I found her words to be very uplifting, thank you for that,

I guess I'm asking, what else has helped you, what gives you hope? What inspires you? What's helped you grow as a person?

I'm curious about what resources you trust that you would direct people to if they wanted better themselves, but didn't necessarily know where to go? I would ask the same question of the other people who post comments to this article regularly, like Glen, Dava and Mark.

1) Sorry about the repeated paragraph in part 2 above, I had to copy and paste from my email account so as not to lose it if something went wrong, and because only a few thousand characters are allowed at a time (I obviously had a lot to say...)

2) Sorry about the lack of spaces between paragraphs for readability sake, another problem with copy and pasting

3) I want to point out for Justin and others' sakes that I am an intelligent adult, I have a graduate degree and have studied philosophy for many years personally as well as in some of my university courses. This has nothing to do with intelligence as I, too, was taken in for a brief period. But I'm appealing to the Teal followers who ARE intelligent, not the numptees who are going around Teal's page and elsewhere name calling because they have no actual sound argument to contribute, or the sheep who continue using circular logic to explain why LaVaughn is a bitch "Nancy Grace". Look at all of this with fresh eyes and open minds. Please, God, PLEASE. And I invite people with some intelligence to contribute sound, rational arguments to this discussion instead of the ones like Melanie (see above) who simply serve as proof for the dumbing down of the population. So step the frick up, have some integrity.

One more thing, sorry to go on... Justin Holme, the incident with Fallon and the way he was butchered by Teal is ITSELF enough to see that Teal's teachings and way of being are not sound. She went for his jugular, first she crossed the ethical barrier between therapist and client, a barrier that exists because the consequences can be devastating for the client, so it is a well-supported method of protection. He was manipulated, he was diagnosed by an unqualified person WITHOUT any testing and this was made public on her blog, in her Facebook groups, etc. His reputation was ruined. He was attacked repeatedly by the community. He lost everything he held dear to him. In sum: he was emotionally abused by Teal Scott. And I know you were around to witness all of that, the only question is how much of if you actually paid attention to and weighed against your better judgement.

Second, all that happened with Cameron, which you criticized yourself in the groups. I remember reading that you thought Teal and co. were out of line for how they attacked Cameron. It was a full on witch hunt and you know it.

The list goes on and on but you only have to open your eyes to see it all right in front of you. But the above surely is enough to understand what you're actually dealing with.

Well, these comments are amazing. So much I want to say. And Becky I love your idea. And I will try to commit it to words when I have the time and mental clarity to do it justice.

Dava, Dava, Dava, wow. So incredibly, beautifully laid out. And you're right. It's so simple I missed it. If TEAL and her brain trust were so tolerant of free expression and being challenged, they would not be trying so hard to shout me down and would, instead, address the points I've raised -- not some ludicrous invention about how I tried to prove that ritual abuse does not exist. That is not what I said and they're all still beating the stuffing out of that sad straw man on her various comment threads.

Oh, on that subject, I said before that while there is no evidence of Satanic ritual abuse ever having occurred, as per the FBI after years of investigation of claims, depending on how one defines ritual abuse, I don't discount that possibility at all. And a Linda H on TEAL's blog suggested a very good example, I think: Warren Jeffs. Don't know why he didn't immediately spring to mind because he is one of the "religious abusers" I have written a good deal about. And in terms of ritual abuse, see in particular here: The Labyrinth of Warren Jeffs. In fact I even used the phrase myself, "sometimes highly ritualized sexual abuse."

So, excellent example, Linda H. On Aleister Crowley, you need to check your facts. He's been heavily mythologized and very misunderstood -- much of it is his own damned fault. But, my husband is really much better versed in Crowley than I so I'll leave it there.

Interesting side note, I noticed sometime yesterday that when I post urls for my blog pages on Facebook, they're restricted in some way and only the url, no synopsis or image, comes up. This also began happening shortly after I posted my first blog on TEAL. In fact when other people tried to post links to my pages, they couldn't get them to post at all, in some cases. I thought that was quite a coincidence! I post something critical of Teal Scott and Facebook starts restricting links to my blog. It unfucked itself after a while and things started posting normally again. But now, here we are again, after I post something else on TEAL, it's happening again. If I had to guess I'd say maybe my site has been spoofed and then spammed Facebook so some algorithm kicked in. But I ain't that tech savvy. I'm just spitballin.' Can I PROVE that some IT wiz in TEAL's inner circle did something like this? No. Do I rather strongly suspect it? Yup.

Hmm... I have a few guesses about who the IT wiz may be, if that's actually what's happening. Let's hope it passes quickly.

Just read a quote that seemed super appropriate: "Religion is belief in someone else's experience. Spirituality is having your own experience."

I think the sheer panic and focus on LaVaughn (and other's) doubts about whether or not Teal's past abuse is 100% true is largely due to the insecurity that this type of religious faith breeds. These Teal articles and comments on your blog, LaVaughn, combined with the response from Teal and community serve as a micro version of macro social problems that stem from the same root, e.g. religious wars. All are borne out of fear. And just like the practices used in religion when situations like these arise, Teal and co. have chosen to keep their followers in the dark, exaggerating one single point out of the several issues that have been raised and clinging to it for dear life, then milking it and taking it as far as they can in an effort to make their leader look like she's the victim of a vicious attack. If everyone would turn down their drama dials from 11 to 0, read the material and saw it for what it was, then responded in an organized way, in line with their super-duper honesty and transparency and commitment to showing that spiritual teachers aren't perfect, I'm sure the vast majority of us would back off. But the shiz they're pulling ain't right.

Oh man... I thought the whole capitalized-first-name-only thing might have been a fluke but she is actually rebranding herself as TEAL. ALL CAPS, all the time. Their fan page has been redone to reflect it and everything she posts is now signed "TEAL". See for yourself: https://www.facebook.com/thespiritualcatalyst

Thank you Dava for the warning. It is dangerous ground this spiritual stuff, and I don't think any of us doubt Teal's charisma, attractiveness and intelligence. And you are correct, she has shown quite strong shadow sides, particularly in Shadow House. I was dismayed with how Cameron was treated, but of course we don't know the whole story, only what was seen on the show and Teal's own comments. Cameron herself has never really commented or complained that I know of. I sometimes wonder if we have too high expectations of a spiritual teacher, especially one who surely has quite a few personal difficulties herself. It is easy to see scars on her arms, as I have personally, but not so easy to see the scars her experiences have left on her psyche. As she herself says, you can wait for a perfect teacher, but you may be waiting a long time. I'll take the teacher I think is *way ahead* of anyone else I know of, and is honest and open enough to show she is no superhuman.

I have been involved with internet forums more or less since they existed, and I must admit I've never experienced a shit storm like that time when I argued with Teal :). I just started to ignore anyone elses comments, even the few more rational voices, and as you say Teal showed a lot of gentleness in the circumstances.

What you say about her book is conjecture. You do not know Teal copied other people. And even if she did she chose exactly the right people, from my pov, and that itself is an amazing feat. She shows time and time again in live interviews and workshops that she knows exactly what she is talking about, so somehow she has really learnt all this stuff as well. I don't think she copied anyone, except the same thing they all copied, the truth. Except she seems to have access to a whole lot more of it.

You are also right that Teal manipulates other people a lot. Again she openly says this, playing chess etc. I tend to see this more as a symptom of insecurity than as a power play, Actually I rarely seen much evidence of Teal being interested in power for its own sake, she doesn't seem to get off on that, and as you have said she has ample opportunities.

As to how Jared/Fallon was treated. Yep that was pretty awful as far as I could see but I put that down to the same forces that work in most relationship breakups. You got to know that if you have a personal relationship with Teal it isn't going to be easy, and again she is pretty upfront about that.

I personally hope that your disillusionment with Teal the person will not stop you taking advantage of some of the information she teaches, because whatever its source some of it is way better than anything else I know of.

LaVaughn, as someone else has pointed out my name is Justin Holme. I am a philosophy graduate and published philosopher (I even have a book plug plug :) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Reality-is-a-Simulation-ebook/dp/B007EAESKC/). I have never been inclined to organised religion, philosophy is my religion and for me Teal is a philosopher first and foremost. I am a very critical thinker but I have to say I have let Teal into my life in a more fundamental emotional and even faith way. Critical thinking can go to far, can in fact be a cop-out in my opinion. Sometimes you have to say, yes I believe. I believe this person is good, I believe this world can be good, I believe this life is good.

All this problem with Teal and her love of money. What is that about? I'll tell you what its about, it that many people don't or cannot believe the reason that Teal says she wants and loves that money. That is to build a mega-business that can compete on an equal footing with the true leaders of our societies, the multi-national corporations. If you beleived that was the reason she wants and loves money how would you feel about it then? So basically it boils down to distrust again, or trust, or at least hope (in my case).

And some hate she likes gifts. Well I don't. I accept that Love Languages are real and if Teal says that it is her language then why not. What an easy and fun way to express love. At least we have some way to show our gratitude. And money is not a gift by the way as far as I can tell for Teal.

I meant to add, look at how she lives. It is not extravagant. She lives well for sure but she doesn't surround herself with baubles and rubbish. They spent like £50 for hotel rooms in London! It wasn't an adequate hotel and had to move. Considerring they had 450 people going to that workshop all paying $100 or so you have to ask yourself why? If it was me I would have had a five star hotel for $300 a night. But maybe Teal has better ideas for using that money?

I am sorry Justin... but I am going to be blunt. I cannot believe it. How can a person who apparently is a philosophy graduate and therefore, studied also some logic can actually LACK the CRITICAL thinking when it comes to very inconsistent load of self aggrandized rubbish presented by Teal...

How anybody who studied Socrates, Plato, Kant, Voltaire, Husserl and therefore should not easily be deluded by weak founded inconsistent cosmology as Teal is presenting?

>but I put that down to the same forces that work in most relationship ?>breakups. You got to know that if you have a personal relationship >with Teal it isn't going to be easy, and again she is pretty upfront >about that.

yeah.... it must be surely the "alignment" surely makes her so difficult and allows her to lack basic integrity and class when she finishes relationships...lolSorry but this lacking even a bit of logic and I cannot be serious anymore.Justin, you seriously need "de-tealing" session with some therapist that drags people from cults. You are blinded

"Considerring they had 450 people going to that workshop all paying $100 or so you have to ask yourself why? If it was me I would have had a five star hotel for $300 a night. But maybe Teal has better ideas for using that money?"

Justin, is there something you know about her finances the rest of don't? It sure sounds like she's stretched a little thin. Remember? No gifts under that tree. And apparently Fallon/Justin was paying her mortgage, still might be for all I know.

I'm not someone who judges people for not having money. Again, I'm no fan of The Secret or it's ilk. i don't think it's as simple as thinking and/or feeling a certain way. But TEAL apparently does. So as I asked above, is she just really shitty at practicing the principles of this law of attraction thing she's teaching? Or is the law of attraction as she's teaching it bullshit?

I've scanned your comments again and I don't see much of substance that I didn't address. I'm even going to be gracious and ignore your blatantly rude, insulting mischaracterizations of me and my motivations... or was there some implied question in that that you wanted me to address?

As far as TEAL's vainglorious descriptions of herself go, I think it's crass. It's an opinion. I think she comes across as just a little short of Kanye on the egomania scale. You don't have to agree, because again, it's a matter of opinion.

I have to say Glen's and others points about Teal using her blog to criticise her son's grandma and Jared/Fallon hit home with me. The best view of this I have is she isn't aware of how many people are now seeing that or are likely to in the future. Or she felt the teaching opportunity was more important than the embarassment for the person exposed (ummmm?). I have to say tho the grandma one was pretty hilarious :).

Justin, they have the data of the number of Youtube subscribers, blog readers (Google Analytics), newsletter subscribers, not to mention the number of people TEAL has friended on Facebook, the number of followers on her fan page, the groups... She is well aware of how many people are reading her scathing remarks, or at least has a rough estimate of numbers. Don't be so naive. I'm not sorry, I'm with MysteryofPresence on the need to be blunt here.

"All this problem with Teal and her love of money. What is that about? I'll tell you what its about, it that many people don't or cannot believe the reason that Teal says she wants and loves that money. That is to build a mega-business that can compete on an equal footing with the true leaders of our societies, the multi-national corporations. If you beleived that was the reason she wants and loves money how would you feel about it then?"

This is irrelevant because the goals as laid out by Teal Eye require a group of high-powered individuals and billions upon billions of dollars, not a single company owned by a "spiritual teacher" who charges $100 a ticket for workshops. It's out of touch with reality from a business perspective. It's nice in theory but honestly.

Justin, you appear to be intelligent from the little I've read from you, especially given your enthusiasm to take Teal and her minions on publicly to ask questions that matter to you. I applaud your courage there, as you said it was a total shitstorm when you voiced yourself in the Facebook group. But I have to tell you that a lot of what you're now saying in defense of Teal doesn't add up. Not even a smidge. You're doing the thing that people do in her group, where you will justify anything she does as necessarily having some purpose or at least that every single thing she does is acceptable for one reason or another.

I ask you to consider how harsh and unkind Teal, Blake, Justin O., Graciela, and Flavia were to Fallon/Jared during that tragic ordeal where they went for him publicly. Remember the criticism? The blogging? The constant framing of TEAL as the weak victim? The blogging about grandma? And so on and so on. Did you notice how Teal's community were not disgusted and slinging names at her for blatantly attacking others? And yet someone writes a couple of articles about TEAL and they're all shitting bricks, including herself. Does that not seem like yet another double standard to you? Why is all of her behaviour so quickly excused, yet no one else's is? She can dish it but she can't take it.

In her most recent post about humility Teal has taken the cake. She is certifiably off her nut and there's no denying it. It doesn't even deserve to be said subtly. This is truly fucked. End of story.

Someone above said she was just short of Kanye but I demand a recount. Teal's new post addresses what she values, and it reveals more about why she has chosen this career than almost anything else she has written. http://blog.thespiritualcatalyst.com/ego-and-humility/

She wrote:

'I am a brilliant writer

I have incredible “star presence”

I “ruffle people’s feathers” and stir up controversy and because of it, I cause people to ask questions that ultimately set them free from limiting beliefs and painful ways of being

I can stay with people no matter how low or high they happen to go emotionally or mentally

I am not afraid of the shadow aspects of myself or other people

I have a captivating personality

I can admit to my mistakes

I perceive oneness constantly and so I am intimately connected with all beings on earth

My mind cuts through bullshit and illusion

I am regal and elegant

I am mesmerizing

I draw both fame and money to me

I draw both fame and money to me

I am fascinating

I am a visionary

I am physically beautiful to look at'

Someone save this somewhere before she deletes it like she has some of her other articles that she suddenly realized were ego-maniacal.

Thank you soo much for writing this blog LaVaughn! The world needs more people like you who can see through con artists like TEAL and manage to employ their critical thinking skills. And thanks to everyone who has contributed in the comment section.The comments here have been phenomenal! Dava, you are an unsung hero... Just sayin' :) Justin, I would be hard pressed to know what other side of the story you needed to see when it came to TEAL's treatment of Cameron on Shadow House. It was pretty laid bare. The whole thing was ghastly... TEAL basically demonized and made Cameron out to be some sort of psychic vampire because she was refusing to have a "meeting of minds" aka refusing to submit to TEAL's abuse. TEAL showed her true colors in that episode, and in TEAL's world it is clearly TEAL's way or the highway...Teal claimed that Cameron was "throwing daggers," but it seemed to me that Cameron's only mistake was diplomatically questioning TEAL and refusing to submit willingly to TEAL and Fallon's well documented barrage of mental and emotional abuse. Cameron eventually revealed she was "coerced" (her words) into doing BYRON KATIE's SHADOW WORk Judge your neighbor around the table in TEAL's house... If that wasn't a CULT in action, I don't know what is... Cameron was subjected to TEAL's overly dramatic and emotional outbursts for nearly 3 hours... Meanwhile, Cameron sat on camera while she was berated, accused, and Teal even encouraged Fallon to call her a "bitch" more than once.... Cameron stood firm while managing to remain very articulate as TEAL cursed her out. She handled it with grace on camera, but most people I know would have went home crying... IT was brutal, and uncalled for... Frankly, I was sick to my stomach after watching that mess. HUGE turn-off for me at that point. TEAL has no business pretending to treat patients or clients the way she was pretending to "heal" Cameron on camera when that is how she handles things. It's downright dangerous to people's psyches. Cameron was obviously intelligent enough to that TEAL did not have her best interests at heart despite TEAL's claims to the contrary. IT was all about TEAL's EGO. It's No wonder TEAL's client committed suicide..TEAL's feigned attempts to HEAL Cameron were clearly an excuse to call out to her army to attack and publicly humiliate or "SLAUGHTER" Cameron as TEAL said her fans would surely do... TEAL's pointed use of the word "slaughter" was very fitting, as I can assure you that what ensued in the comments section during the livestream WAS a blood bath... At that point, it seemed as if everyone was still viewing TEAL with rose colored glasses and took Teal's lead in berating Cameron. Dava, I agree it was a WITCH HUNT. Justin I'd be hard pressed to see who Cameron would have even been able to safely voice her complaints to publicly without being torn to shreds by TEAL's ARMY. I am glad for Cameron's sake that she got out of that unhealthy environment. I had the pleasure of meeting and visiting with Cameron at one of Teal's workshops, and she was a lovely, genuine girl who seemed very grounded... I wish her all the best on her spiritual journey, and hope that at least now she will have learned enough not to be taken in by any more false prophets such as TEAL...

That post of hers reminded me what got me started on this journey of mine. A simple site, with a few hours worth of Anthony de Mello and his explanation of ego traps & such. http://awareness.tk/I recommend anyone who's not had the pleasure of his teachings to take a look. I posted it on her blog also but I doubt that'll get through moderation. I think anyone who watches that with an open mind gains serious points on their bullshit radar for spiritual "gurus"

First, thank you for indulging me with the space to tease out my thoughts relating to TEAL. Hopefully what I have to say makes some sense, but really I am just trying to work through the seemingly contradictory ideas she teaches.

We can't really know the truth about Teal's abuse story with the limited information we have. The points raised by LaVaughn are valid. Teal's timelines are confusing and raise credibility issues. If Teal is so concerned with being believed, why doesn't she addressthe concerns that LaVaughn and others have raised point by point?

The telling (confusing) aspect of all this is why someone like Teal, who claims to be a spiritual leader, who constantly harps on about how she creates her reality WITH HER FOCUS (and uses that concept to justify misrepresenting the truth about her current status - "She often talks us as bigger than we are. Which is good because we are creating our reality." Blake Dyer) then spends so much of her time thinking, talking and writing about her abuse story. She has spoken about the dangers of being "obsessed with truth" which she says doesn't actually matter when you create your own reality. So why get upset when people have their doubts about her back story? Doesn't that make her obsessed with the 'truth'? So when is truth important to Teal - when it is convenient for her?

Yes Justin, Teal does "very clearly encourages people to think critically and for themselves," but then she demonises them for daring to doubt the truth of her stories, stating that to do so is to perpetuate her pain. I have seen clearly in Shadow House what happens to someone when they dare to "think critically and for themselves" around her. If they are not persuaded by her arguments, they are personally attacked. If her teachings are not working for you, then you must need more help from Teal because you're 'doing it wrong' (http://www.ex-cult.org/fwbo/DoubBind.htm).

Teal encourages us all to be our own guru, to take or leave information as it suits us. After all she says, truth is subjective (except when it's not) : "There are two types of truth in this universe, Objective (universal) Truth and Subjective (individual) Truth." Yet, we are encouraged to ask Teal questions and she will give answers with certainty, drawing on her abilities, and present these answers as 'truth'. Sure, we can take it or leave it, but if we leave it, how can we be sure that Teal's not speaking 'universal truth' at that moment? We don't have the abilities she claims to have. She encourages us all to trust ourselves, but how can we, when an Arcturian leader of the New Age with a host of special abilities says something that doesn't fit with our wisdom, based on our human experience? When you take an interest in what Teal says, it can potentially feel risky to follow your own judgement, if it doesn't agree with Teal's judgement. Another thing I find interesting is Teal's emphasis on assessing 'truth' or information from external sources. From what I have seen, she places very little emphasis on wisdom derived from personal experience, which I think is fundamental.

If Teal is the spiritual luminary she claims to be, why does she care if anyone believes her stories and teachings or not? Surely a spiritual luminary would be secure enough in themselves and the validity of their own truth that they would not allow their focus to be diverted by the opinions of others? Surely a spiritual luminary whose 'transformation' can be attributed entirely to her 'positive focus' would not base their new career on the details of their miserable past? If she believes what she teaches, what is she trying to create for herself and her 'Tealers' by consistently drawing their focus to graphic detail of her abuse story?

Teal is insistent on representing herself as someone who knows the way to bliss when her reality is clearly anything but blissful.

Wow, some incredibly amazing writing here! LaVaughn, you've included one of my comments in your article. Well, you won't be able to do this anymore, hehehe. As of yesterday, ALL my comments (and there were quite a few, most of them quite innocent, directed to other people I've befriended there, like Avalon for example, never seriously offensive I believe, though I did challenge some of Teal's views, but with respect and integrity) have been removed!!! Nuff said. You, Glen, Dava and others have covered the subject pretty well already. Thank you.

LaVaughn as regards Teal's finances I can make some pretty informed guesses. But no need to guess as regards the London Workshop 2013, I was there. 450 * $100 is $45,000 for a weekend minus expenses of course and yet I didn't see any evidence that Teal and co were living it large in London. I honestly don't think she is that interested in money for its consumer-like uses so what does interest her about it?

Have you seen today's post?? Yesterday, she wrote this gripping story of her past, once again retelling us all the gruesome details. And then using other maneuvers so you feel very sorry for her and guilty for doubting. Some people even fell in love with her once again, after being so bitter and disappointed just a day before. Today she is urging people to write all these amazing qualities about themselves and post it. Well, as people are scratching their heads, writing this positive stuff, they automatically start thinking higher of themselves. They end up feeling just pretty awesome and high! Wow, look at me, I AM Special!!!! And they start to associate this feeling of "high on positivity" with Teal now! Like Pavlov's dogs. They are hooked! Very smart move!!! Drug dealers use similar tricks. Teal is making all this crowd feel oh so special, fat people also rejoiced the other day- it's not their fault!!! Nothing is our fault. And from the "source perspective" everything, absolutely everything is justified.The website should be renamed "The Egoic Catalyst"

You make a lot of good points Dava. I am starting to think you are right and I am caught up to some extent in the group-think of the Teal FB groups. Its something I need to watch.

There was little talk of the mistreatment of Fallon/Jared that I remember. I suppose it seemed justified by his demonization as a 'sociopath' and possible cult asassin :). Jared said Teal told him that he might as well kill himself as he left. If that is true it is very disturbing. There are possible charitable explanations, such as she thought that would be the one thing she could say that might *stop* him killing himself. However from Jared himself, in his video, we didn't hear anything about this and he was surprisingly positive about Teal.

"This is irrelevant because the goals as laid out by Teal Eye require a group of high-powered individuals and billions upon billions of dollars, not a single company owned by a "spiritual teacher" who charges $100 a ticket for workshops. It's out of touch with reality from a business perspective. It's nice in theory but honestly."

It is very ambitious but it is also a mathematical certainty given certain conditions. That more money is earned than is spent. That the money that is not spent is reinvested at a profit on average. That is it basically it. Its called an exponential growth curve.

"ROTFLMAO!!! That's right, Justin. I'm asserting as a matter of fact that TEAL is really the Wicked Witch because that's what I believe. I tried to squeak it by but ya got me. You heard it here first. She's the Wicked Witch of the West."

You complain about people using strawman arguments, maybe it is a bit hypocritical to use the same lazy tactic yourself don't you think? My point was that you implied she was *a* witch and wicked not that she was *the* Wicked Witch of the West (who is a fictional character by the way). If you think that is engaging with the point I made you are very wrong. That is making up a ridiculous argument, attributing it to me, pretending no one else will notice this because it looks slightly similar and then wiping the whole little excercise from your memory :). You implied she is wicked and a witch. You did not directly claim it but in the end that is the claim you imply and Teal is quite right to recognise that.

Hi Elena! Personally I think your comments got deleted because Teal is 'jelly'. She might like everyone to think it is all about them, and so she adds a line at the end of her blogs trying to make it 'about you' (her beloved fan), but it is really all about her, and you and I were not all about her. We weren't in there waxing poetic about her, we were in there waxing poetic about each other! The audacity! Sprawling across the furniture like we owned the place, hahahaha!

Anyway, here's what Blake had to say about your comments being deleted in an email to me: "A very loving person towards teal was doing this and felt Lena's comments took nothing from the content and were simply trying to cut her down and being antagonistic." Yeah, right.whatever. He went on to say: "...both Teal and I were upset to find out they had been removed. We are trying to get them put back up, but If this isnt possible we'll invite Lena to comment again and also make a post ourselves apologizing." I got that email this morning but I don't see your comments back up, nor do I see a public apology. But it doesn't really matter to me because I'm finished over there.

More on Teal's latest post: If you want people to believe in your goodness, don't praise it. It doesn't mean you should not respect or not value yourself. While I agree that self deprecation is harmful, self- flattery is also an unhealthy defense mechanism. Vain people cause disgust from the wise; elicit worship from the fools; become idols for parasites and eventually they themselves fall slaves to their pride, wants and ambition."He that gives good advice, builds with one hand; he that gives good counsel and Example, builds with both; but he that gives good admonition and bad example, builds with one hand and pulls down with the other." Francis Bacon

The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the fools are full of confidence.

"You implied she is wicked and a witch. You did not directly claim it but in the end that is the claim you imply and Teal is quite right to recognise that."

Out of all the content in LaVaughn's entire blog post, why would you so vehemently latch onto this one ridiculously inferred assumption?? Even better question yet, is why would TEAL choose to recognize that as well??? Don't get me wrong, if that's what you and TEAL choose to respond to and recognize out of everything LaVaughn mentioned... so be it... I just can't wrap my head around why that might be??... Maybe someone could enlighten me??

Hey!! It's good to see you here!!! Oh boy, I do not want any public invitation or an apology! I don't need that... You might be right... How thoughtful of this "very loving person" to do this major clean up, and not just with my comments. Thank you for your post :-)))LaVaughn, don't worry, we won't take up much more of your comments space by transferring ourselves from Teal's blog to LaVaughn Salon!! hahaha

Hi Elena, Elizabeth here - nice to see you. I noticed how Teal (or her staff) now handle comments on her blog - all of my posts were published until I began to criticise Teal, then they were moderated. Most of them did end up being posted though, but that may be because I cross posted them to the TT forum and called them out on their moderation process. It's very disappointing that your thoughtful and intelligent comments were deleted.

I see no reason for a 'transparent' spiritual leader to edit what others choose to say about her on a public forum, unless of course she isn't as transparent as she would like to appear.

I'm agree with George Harrison - "beware of greedy leaders/they take you where you should not go".

http://youtu.be/pPuFDaPC5XM

I also wanted to add that the notion that Teal Eye is going to one day transform all that Teal says is wrong with our society is utterly ridiculous. I did some volunteer work for them, and although I have worked with some disorganised people in my time, they were by far the worst. IMHO based on my experiences, Blake has no clue how to delegate, organise the business or communicate effectively. They rely on unpaid volunteers to fill professional positions, with no overall structure to the business or the activities it undertakes. Blake explained that he's so busy that "We were left relying on people that took the initiative, and just did things for Teal Eye." So, rather than developing strategies and implementing them in a methodical way to realise Teal's vision of transforming health care, aged care, the prison system etc, they just rely on whoever is willing to volunteer to come up with ideas that sound good to them, implement those ideas with limited or no assistance from Teal and her team, but Teal reaps the profits. Since she changed her original business model and gets paid from the proceeds of the company, the public are supposed to take it on trust that the money she earns is invested in realising the company's vision. Oh that's right, we're not supposed to take it on trust: "The money going to and from Headway will be completely transparent. Meaning that as soon as we get it all up and running, you will be able to log in somewhere on the internet and be able to see every cent that is earned and spent through the company. This transparency is a corruption prevention step." Great, so where is this ability to log in and see where the money is being spent? Teal blogged this in October - no updates since then, but I guess she was busy flying to London, getting married and planning to move to a new country (http://blog.thespiritualcatalyst.com/i-changed-my-mind/).

I have no doubt that there are a lot of well-meaning people involved with Teal and her business, but from my experience with them they have absolutely no idea how to run a successful business and manage people. To think that this kind of organisation could do anything to take on big business and catalyse world transformation is laughable.

LA VAUGHN: Hello again! (I posted here before as 'Avalon', which is my given name, but couldn't remember how I did it, hehehe, so this is my google account username.)

Anyway, no I don't think Lena's comments getting deleted had anything to do with you quoting her comment here... you had used one of mine too, but my comments never got deleted. And there have been worse comments posted over there than 'Somebody needs to get a grip!' I said above what my hunch is about the deletions. I could certainly be wrong, after all my comments are still up, well, most of them anyway. Or maybe TEAL (eyeroll) subconsciously wanted us to come over here badmouthing her, hahahaha! It doesn't really matter to me what their motivation for deleting all Elena's lovely comments was though, the very fact of it having been done tells me all I need to know about that bunch.

Hey... it's Queen Elizabeth! Boy what a reunion we're having over here! Hahahaha! I LOVE your username!! I noticed it last night and wondered who it was!

That is too funny about how the way they run the business, I can just picture it. LOL It's still good experience for them though. I wonder if Sarbdeep will lend a 'mature and organized hand' now that he's part of the 'tribe'.

teal lost my trust because of her "I changed my mind" attitude for basic things. I remember watching her video about Teal Eye and being amazed about her "security set ups" that she cant get to the money in case she changes her motivation. In October she changed her mind and draws now money out of the system. Considering that Fallon was the CEO of Teal Eye (which she dated…ohhh)…the whole thing just seems loose to me - or lets say "dangerously fragile"

Lena ZH i remember you: you took kind of over ( ; especially when Michael with the underline ____ dissappeared (what happened to him?). I also remember that you were suggesting to the readers "lets all donate to Teal" which made me really angry as Teal is making good money - believe me. However I do remember your comments being very gentle, well thought through and very positive intended. You got deleted because you've got your own blog personality there ( ;

I am confused by the constant twist of "poor me" and "wow look at me". It totally plays with my mind. Now I don't follow her emotional highs and disasters… I am turning bipolar slowly by reading her blog about her personal life.

I do agree with teal that all people on the stages of the world are CONVINCED of their intentions, mission, self qualities and need to have some fire up their ass, x-factor, whatever you called it. I also believe that she is very driven and motivated and has plenty of talents. I do think that she doesn't know how to handle criticism and I do think that she has massive internal wars which are reflected in her daily posts and lift up or take down the reader.

To follow Teal is like riding a roller coster. But I have to lift my hat.She is one clever fox.

"You complain about people using strawman arguments, maybe it is a bit hypocritical to use the same lazy tactic yourself don't you think? My point was that you implied she was *a* witch and wicked not that she was *the* Wicked Witch of the West (who is a fictional character by the way). If you think that is engaging with the point I made you are very wrong. That is making up a ridiculous argument, attributing it to me, pretending no one else will notice this because it looks slightly similar and then wiping the whole little excercise from your memory :). You implied she is wicked and a witch. You did not directly claim it but in the end that is the claim you imply and Teal is quite right to recognise that."

claim: an assertion of something as true, real, or factual ~ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/claim

characterization: A description of qualities or peculiarities ~ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/characterization

Oh Justin, a degree in philosophy and this is what you've been reduced to?

What I wrote there wasn't a straw man. It wasn't an argument at all. It was ridicule. Again, quite different. I gave your RIDICULOUS convolution of logic exactly the attention it deserved I think.

The only assertion implied in that characterization is that she sends her followers to do her dirty work for her. And here you are.

And Justin, HolisticHealer is right. Out of everything I wrote in that blog, you want to debate whether or not I think she's a wicked witch?

You don't want to discuss that she may have ignored, or even prompted, a client's suicidal ideation, resulting in that woman's suicide? You don't want to discuss that she claims she was designed by the Arcturians as a pretty white girl because only a pretty white girl's ideas can really get a good hearing in this world? Really?

I mean, I'm glad to see that you're engaging with others on this page the issue of how she treats people. I think it's rather telling that you find humorous her anecdote about a private citizen, in which she mocked of all damned things her politeness despite some of the limitations of her cultural programming -- something some of us might find admirable. And yet, you are outraged that I used that phrase "winged monkeys" to characterize a certain behavior.

You acknowledge that she has been incredibly cruel to people like Jared and Cameron and keep right on defending her. And you come onto this blog and spew hysterical, overheated rhetoric because I had the temerity to write about that cruelty.

Dava, I keep meaning to mention this, on the transition to ALL CAPS thing. I ran it back. I believe I found it started around the beginning of December. If you look at her quotes -- because you know she quotes herself -- there's a line of demarcation. I think it was are 12/3 or12/4, that's from memory, where the signatures abruptly change from Teal Scott to TEAL.

"Today she is urging people to write all these amazing qualities about themselves and post it. Well, as people are scratching their heads, writing this positive stuff, they automatically start thinking higher of themselves. They end up feeling just pretty awesome and high! Wow, look at me, I AM Special!!!! And they start to associate this feeling of "high on positivity" with Teal now! Like Pavlov's dogs. They are hooked! Very smart move!!! Drug dealers use similar tricks."

Drug dealers and cult leaders: It's called "love bombing." Also the appeal to "specialness." This is all over TEAL's material. By your association with TEAL you are innately special. You are "high vibration." Teal Tribe Dating, for instance.

"That idea works by the law of attraction: The vibration in this group is high because of the high vibrational message of Teal Scott; Which means meeting high quality and spiritual-minded people."

TEAL is special and that makes you special by association. That appeal to elitism is, again, classic cult programming. *You are part of the in group. People outside of the group probably won't understand you. Thank goodness you've found your true family.*

It's an odd juxtaposition of elitism and altruism that comes out of groups like this. We're here to save the world that we're so above.

I keep coming back to this odd bit of phrasing in the piece of that ego blog I quoted above.

"I am the first person to expose my flaws and that makes me relatable to the people."

Not people, "the people." And she's not one of "the people." This is no "we the people." She's above "the people" but they can relate to her. She makes herself accessible, but she's still distant, removed, above.

"LaVaughn as regards Teal's finances I can make some pretty informed guesses. But no need to guess as regards the London Workshop 2013, I was there. 450 * $100 is $45,000 for a weekend minus expenses of course and yet I didn't see any evidence that Teal and co were living it large in London. I honestly don't think she is that interested in money for its consumer-like uses so what does interest her about it?"

Justin, there's a very basic error in your calculations. You're looking at the money earned v. spent on that trip in isolation. You're not considering the expenses of the rest of her life. She still has a mortgage, a child, a business she's trying to grow, and so on. Whatever profit she may have made on that trip isn't fun money to be spent during that trip. It's business income that needs to support her life and vision. And you really have no idea what her other financial obligations are, what debt she may have to service, a college fund for her son (dare I hope).

What we do know from her own account, is that she and her cohorts don't have enough money for Christmas presents. So I sincerely doubt they had the liquidity to live high in London.

Most kind and thoughtful spiritual leaders would give updates on the billboard campaign funds. She was suddenly a charity for that campaign and not a business. So exactly what are her intentions for the $8, 950?. Only genuine, well intentioned people would give updates but Teal and her crew SAY NOTHING which is a pretty poor way to treat your donors, but that's their fault for being so DUMB. You'll never see it again, there is NO accountability with Teal. Not even Blake has bothered his ass to give the people and update, very corrupt. Come on, put me in my place and tell me I'm talking crap and that everything is above board, LOL

"They rely on unpaid volunteers to fill professional positions, with no overall structure to the business or the activities it undertakes."

This, thismeanderingpath, is a major button pusher for me. As I said before, if someone is making a profit on your free labor, you are being exploited. Period. If your margins are that low, at least compensate people in some clear way, free services, something. You don't just allow people to donate their time to a money making venture and not be compensated. It's not appropriate whether you're a non-profit or a for-profit company. It's just not appropriate. It's completely out of integrity. It's also all kinds of common in the New Age arena. And with TED Talks for some reason. Not cool.

"I speculate the reward in the volunteers current situation is living under Teals roof."

Glen I don't think it is at least for most of them. I think they have rented a flat nearby and all work at other jobs as well. There are more than enough people who would like to do what they are doing if circumstances allowed. I think it is quite condescending to assume they are all idiots and dupes to choose that. AFAICS the main reward is getting direct 'therapy' or 'casual insights' from Teal directly and/or being part of something they (and I) believe in.

"...she and her cohorts don't have enough money for Christmas presents."

I'm pretty sure that is not true. I understood they chose not to do the whole present thing (can't remember why now). However I was surprised recently when Teal was seen wearing a ski jacket *inside* during an interview. She even said something about it being very cold here? She looked a bit cold. Inside!? Can't she afford heating? She's had about 1,000,000 you tube views in the last 3 months alone by my estimate. If only 0.1% of them bought a book that would 1000 books, * at least $5 profit per book that $5000 right there, surely enough to live on for the basics anyway. Plus around $50,000 income from London, another online workshop or two, and all the other books sold.

Justin, Charities pay people. And when they do use volunteers, they do so with clarity and transparency. It has to be clear in their accounting practices or they bring a world of trouble on themselves. Running a non-profit is something that requires a great deal of accountability. And TEAL is not a charity.

LaVaughn, I agree the volunteer situation IS exploitative. BUT it appears these lost souls like Bonnie, Justin, Graciela, and Flavia are hanging on for all its worth on the promise of TEAL actually being wildly famous someday... They all moved to Utah to be TEAL's groupies, which is a situation that thanks to TEAL's manipulative and unscrupulous nature has now morphed into a cult.... It's as if they've drinken enough KOOL-AID that they believe that if they can just kiss TEAL's ass long enough while she's still relatively unknown, they will be able to ride on TEAL's glorious coattails to get a piece of the pie when she actually becomes FAMOUS... Flavia and Graciela especially seem to relish in the modicum of public recognition they are getting by being associated with TEAL on Shadow House no matter how much TEAL obviously exploits them.

Glen, if you remember the episode of Shadow House where Cameron made her exit and ALL of the cast mates had moved into an apartment of their own 2 minutes away from TEAL's house... YES, they live in TEAL's community, but they don't live in TEAL's house... This must be why TEAL slings around the phrase "communal living" so often. I don't know why TEAL tries to portray the image in her blog writing and Facebook pictures (like the one where TEAL, Fallon and all her volunteers are cuddling in a bed together) that all the volunteers actually still live under her roof... She tries to make it seem like they ALL live in TEAL's house when the only people who are actually living with her are her ex husband Mark, Blake, Sarbdeep, and her son Winter... The Shadow House gang only comes over to "volunteer" i.e. clean Teal's house, watch her Son, read her emails and moderate her comments apparently... This is what it appears they spend their "off time" doing... They appear to have found jobs of their own now to pay rent at their apartment. This excludes Bonnie who as a Canadian citizen isn't likely to be able to legally work in the states... Of course, their reward appears to be hanging out with TEAL when she finds the time to have them over for dinner or to taut her cult leader role leading while filming an occasional episode of Shadow House, while they constantly feed TEAL's massive ego and worship her feet as she walks all over them.... It appears they have no outside social life except to associate with Blake and TEAL at TEAL's house, or out at restaurants, or on hikes...

Justin, why would you need to "remember" it? Just read it. I quoted it above and linked to the source material. It's quite clear. They did without gifts because they're saving money for their move to Europe. And it's quite clear that this choice did NOT make her feel abundant. It made her feel sad and lacking. It's the opposite of what she teaches and of the promised results.

"If you focus at the world with an attitude of abundance, abundance must come to you. This is universal law. We cannot focus on things that cause us to feel as if we lack money and make money at the same time." ~ http://blog.thespiritualcatalyst.com/fall-in-love-with-money-and-you-will-make-money/

You'd think someone with her level of mastery would put her own teachings into practice a little better, wouldn't you?

Me "You implied she is wicked and a witch. You did not directly claim it but in the end that is the claim you imply and Teal is quite right to recognise that."

Holistic Healer "Out of all the content in LaVaughn's entire blog post, why would you so vehemently latch onto this one ridiculously inferred assumption?? Even better question yet, is why would TEAL choose to recognize that as well???"

As far as I know Teal does not even know about that comment concerning 'flying monkeys'. For me it was just taken as an example of LaVaughn's technique of implying stuff that she seems to think is not the same as making a direct claim about Teal. In a way LaVaughn is right, it is not the same as a direct claim, it is a lot more sneaky and pernicious. However it is still an implied criticism of Teal and an implied claim about Teal and therefore a claim, contrary to LaVaughn's denials and in keeping with what Teal has said in her blog.

And AGAIN. Why all the obsession with minutiae? Why won't you address the larger issues. You know you accuse me of not addressing all your points, which I believe I have, but you are being very selective about what you're willing to address in the post and in my responses to your comments.

Well if you're not sure yourself you've spoken a bit too soon. I'm not really here to be politically correct so sounding condescending is not something that concerns me next to the great concern I have for the people involved with this BUSINESS.

I think there's a tremendous amount of evidence out there right now that says this business is a completely fraudulent operation.

Teals first client committed suicide and she was not referred on to other care services. Fallon was a client and customer and ended up in a psychiatric ward.

So don't come on here telling me I am being condescending while you somehow endorse the merits direct 'therapy' in the TEAL BUSINESS as it has so far been a complete and utter shambles with no professional standards or boundaries.

Everything is about TEAL being around Teal, does anyone else have any fucking value?

"IMHO based on my experiences, Blake has no clue how to delegate, organise the business or communicate effectively."

Did you see the London Workshop? It was slick. They went from one venue to a bigger and much better one with just 3 weeks to go. I was amazed. I thought there was a disaster on the way, but in fact it was a triumph. If you look at the progression from the Santa Fe workshop to the London it could barely have been imagined (by most, including me and I suspect you). I honestly think Blake is doing an amazing job and he is a spectacularly nice person.

"I gave your RIDICULOUS convolution of logic exactly the attention it deserved I think."

So you sidestep the issue again.

This is why I just picked one example of LaVaughn's implied claims people. What would be the point in pointing out any more? She is clearly unable or unwilling to admit any fault here. Instead she has attempted to atagonise me (good luck :)) as if that will distract me and you.

@ Justin. Okay Justin, what's happening to the $8, 950 that was raised for the Billboard campaign? What intentions do you have for the money? You're part of the business in some capacity, you shoul be able to tell me. That's a fair question isn't it?

David Icke tells us what's happening with his indiegogo campaign and I feel it's transparent. In fact he launched a new TV channel using crowd-funding.

So, perhaps you can provide all the donors with an update? What is happening with the Billboard campaign funds?

Okay, Justin. If all you want to do is belabor an argument over the meaning of the word claim, and I did provide a dictionary definition for your benefit, instead of address the serious issues raised by myself and other people here, we're done. I'm not going to indulge it further. I hope you gain something from further discussion with Dava and some others on this page whom you seem to be willing to treat with more respect. Or not. It's up to you.

So you're going to catalyze the rise in consciousness aimed at positive world change by critisising hospitals and their policy, describing them as places of pain and death then having heated debates with insurnace men on ski lifts while telling fans and followers Teal visits the hospitals both in and out of body?

Have you any idea how crazy this sounds? This is your approach to world change? You have got to be kidding us.

I don't want any of you anywhere near my dying relatives who need palliative care.

Do you know that for a fact? Do you know she does not do all the necessary accounting and registering? Or did you just assume all that?

Also if I choose to help a friend with their business on a voluntary basis do you think there are loads of a regulations and things concerning that? I personally don't think I need some agencies permission to help a friend out.

"By the way this a good example of something I have never seen Teal do, on forums, even when upset and feeling attacked."

Teal argues with insurance men on chair lifts Justin, I read her blog, it's a heated debate by the time they get to the top. She asks then "How do you sleep at night" Teal is passive aggressive, she'll get you back but through public exposure and humiliation. If I had been Jared, I would have sued her for that. It was a really cruel thing to do, so was telling the world her ex husband got her savings, so was claiming her mother in law despised her, so was dragging her parents on public show against their will. Justin, do you even read this blog or are you so programmed you're impenetrable?

Justin, if you think now finally addressing my points in this weird, scattershot and incomplete way will make me willing to reopen a dialogue with you, you're mistaken. If you're just processing something you need to process, have at it. But I meant it. I'm done. You're not engaging in a reasonable, fair dialog. You're just hurling insults and highly selective excerpts of what I've said. So if you just need to clear a blockage or something, go nuts. It's cool. But I've withdrawn my participation in this very strange exercise.

Answering questions with a question gets you nowhere, it's evasive that's all. Justin, birds of a feather flock together, I guess you have more in common with Teal than I had hoped. You're deeply in the cult, good luck.

"Teals first client committed suicide and she was not referred on to other care services"

Glen I think Teal meant that this was the first client who had commited suicide while in her care rather than she was her very first client (just to be clear). As to how Teal's ability as a therapist is to be judged in regard to loosing a client in this way it would depend on how many people she has had as clients surely. If she had had only a few and one commited suicide that could be bad luck I suppose or we could blame her to some extent. If she had had hundreds of people and one did this then surely the probabilty is on Teal's side. And also it would depend on the types of problems the people have (I think in this case severe depression). What are the probabilities for people with severe depression to commit suicide, pretty high I would think. Does Teal have to be a perfect therapist (and we come back to potential unrealistic expectations of spiritual teachers I would say)?

"Okay Justin, what's happening to the $8, 950 that was raised for the Billboard campaign? What intentions do you have for the money? You're part of the business in some capacity, you shoul be able to tell me. That's a fair question isn't it?"

Glen I am not the Justin who is part of Teal's business (Olgauer?) and I have no idea what is happening with that (I in fact didn't contribute to that). I would imagine they are so busy that very little has happened. I think they are at that stage of a business/organisation where they are expanding rapidly and finding it very hard to keep up. I'm sure in the next few months you will here something.

"...others on this page whom you seem to be willing to treat with more respect."

Funny that you tend to get what you dish out. Yes I have been more provacative and forceful with you, but you have set yourself up as a kind of expert and someone who seemed to want to debate things in a pretty robust way. Both Dava and Glen seem to have been genuinely trying to explore issues. You seem to be more interested in winning arguments to me (I've seen it all before, so often). I normally wouldn't engage you much in discussion to be honest as I can see you are very commited to this position and there really isn't much point. Except in this case quite a few other people may read these comments and get a better idea of where you are coming from and your attitudes. I certainly have.

However I would also like to say you and others here have some valid points. I personally hope Teal and other Tealers such as myself read your blog and these comments. I personally am all for open discussion and questioning, and I can take a bit of robust and even injust debating :). All the best to you and thank for your research and good writing.

I'm just working my way backwards through the new comments and the ones from yesterday I just couldn't give the deserved attention to. Not that I have much more time today, but there really is some great stuff here. Such insight.

Kevin, thank you for the recap of the Cameron witch hunt. I want to say I wish these were extant somewhere so I could see them but I don't know if I have the stomach for it. It sounds ghastly. The ones I've seen, TEAL is squarely in control and the thought of TEAL in control AND on a tirade... the mind boggles. It's like reality television on steroids and I loathe reality television. But poor Cameron. Geez.

Avalon, aka., zigzagbuddha, Nice to see you again.

Becky, I haven't forgotten you or your wonderful idea. I do have things I want to share on that score but I want to do it when I can give it my full attention.

For now family is demanding most of my attention. That's the thing about being a parent. Kids are just always wanting and needing things. Food, attention, support.

I thought about moving my exes into the house so I could delegate some of this but it didn't go over. My husband's exact words were, "But where will I live, dear." So it's a no go.

Is Teal qualified even at a basic level? Did she make an attempt to tell anyone that the lady in question was a danger to herself and help get her an admission to a psychiatric ward for crisis intervention?

With so many, many mental health problems herself, should Teal have any clients now or in the future?

Don't you at least have to have a license to have clients who are so vulnerable? Is the story even true or was it for Santa Fe?

Stop speaking for Teal Justin, I'm sick of you speaking for a lady you hardly know, just stop speaking for Teal, you think Teal meant this or Teal meant that, you have no right to speak for Teal, let Teal speak for herself and you speak for yourself.

It's not about being perfect as a therapist but my God if you're going to perhaps tell her family or an audience in Santa Fe she returned to another body a couple of days later because she wanted physical perspective again, well what nonsense.

Personally I think what her parents did (and didn't) do is inherent to Teal's story so that was inevitable. I have already agreed that I find her exposure of Winter's grandmother and Jared/Fallon to public ridicule highly questionable. I cannot choose or be responsible for what I find funny or amusing, that is involuntary :).

Thank you Glen, maybe I need it. I hope the same thing for you as I did Dava. That you can stay open to good information Teal does have even if you are not open to her. Did you see her most recent Ask Teal video, I found it very good indeed.

"Did she make an attempt to tell anyone that the lady in question was a danger to herself and help get her an admission to a psychiatric ward for crisis intervention?"

No idea. I certainly have no right or intention to speak for Teal. As LaVaughn is no longer willing to discuss her blog with me I think I am done here. Thank you all for you insights and good wishes. Love Justin (Holme).

@Justin But you're not going to change any policies as an outsider. You're all deluded and Teal has already alienated herself from those she hopes to work with in the future. She had a choice to be an obstetrician but she decided on medical intuitive.

To be honest, I don't think it's any of her or your business and she is incapable of listening to other peoples perspectives and any one she thinks has made an attack on her she deals with immaturely instead of embracing. There's no chance you'll work with anyone after your attitude even to this blog. You couldn't even be forthcoming here, how the hell will you deal with the corporate world.

She doesn't stand a chance of changing a diaper or working with any other professional people, she'll argue with them like she did her doctor, insurance men and anyone else who is in resistance to her all knowing attitude.

I am stunned at Teals arrogance. I have no idea where that comes from but not everyone will put up with her attitude.

Can you imagine Teal telling some health professionals that she wanders the hospital out of body giving patients pain relief and being there to console them. All that ethereal BS will not go down well. It's laughable

"Thank you Glen, maybe I need it. I hope the same thing for you as I did Dava. That you can stay open to good information Teal does have even if you are not open to her. Did you see her most recent Ask Teal video, I found it very good indeed."

I think by now you may have realized I am not here to endorse TEAL. The video is of no interest to me, I find TEAL a distasteful person. Please don't act like a cult member and shove your propaganda videos my way like you're on a college campus. I like spiritual teachers to have humility and introspection and TEAL is instead a megalomaniac, which isn't my cup of tea. I have no doubt you will learn the ways of a megalomaniac while you remain in the cult.

On the subject of her videos, my husband just pointed out something interesting. Firstly, he was astounded at how many of her videos appear with one or both shoulders bear, which others have commented on. Sometimes it really looks like she naked. But he just picked a random video out of curiosity to hear what she had to say and if it could be heard over her alabaster shoulders. Right around 8:37 she calmly drops this gem, "So when you're going balls deep in the program..." WTF? I'm really beginning to understand why a number of my male friends felt like they were being sexually manipulated by her videos. How many of these little dog whistles are there in her videos? Ye gods.

Just as an aside to Teal, in reference to her "Pain in Amber" and other similar posts: it's not the horrific tales of ritual abuse in and of themselves that strain credibility, it's the wildly inconsistent and disjointed image you project. It's a confusing mishmash of different personalities, contradictory belief systems, along with personal history that sounds like a very badly edited movie and leaves people scratching their heads - including people like myself, who are open to the idea of the horrors that might be happening in Utah or elsewhere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqrGkQOpmAs Also pay attention to her eyes at the beginning. First there is a flash and then the eye start to glow. THese "flashes" are very subtile and I believe that Blake is playing with Adobe After Effects. You will see the flashes in some other videos as well. Mhhhh our subconscious has a big fat meal there ( ; wonder what's the point about that "eye glow" as well. It is not natural, it is edited.

I do believe that her naked shoulders, beds in the background of interviews (we all know that the house has beautiful decorated walls ( ; ), very trained laughter in her videos and interview (notice that they appear more often after people acknowledged the "sweetness" of it - people just LOVE it), "cute fox yawn noises" in shadow house episodes or online workshops....it is a result of a very self conscious female person with a plan. Most females know what I mean by that. ( ;

At the end of the day she IS a hot ferrari and enjoys it. Fair enough.

... I just would like to add that there is a phenomena which I will call "The Teal Spell". It happened to me and to all my friends, male OR female, which I sent a link of her videos a while ago. TO summarize it: the man (married or not) fell head of heels in love with her and wanted to marry her and the girls considered to become a lesbian - just for Teal. :D

Oh, I totally think there's a Teal spell. That was a major motivator for me in terms of writing about her. I was talking to so many people who were feeling very affected by her and were downright freaked out about it -- male and female. Not necessarily a sexual thing but just feeling really strange, really compelled by her, and deeply uncomfortable and ambivalent. Whatever this pulse is that she puts out, I'm immune to it. And I can see, objectively, that she's pretty, but I don't think she's attractive at all. She seems very cold to me. There's something very mechanistic about her attractiveness and that kind of thing always puts me off.

When I think of women in this field that I think are really pretty, I think of Marianne Williamson. Debbie Ford was really beautiful. And you'll note that neither of them exploited their attractiveness in that way. They let their ideas speak for them. I'm quite sure Marianne Williamson never did an interview in a peignoir with her bed featured prominently in the background. It's just so incredibly crass, I can't even believe what I'm seeing.

I've been following this whole thing for a few months now, and I admit it's affected me like reality TV. Initially I stumbled into a Teal video, found myself enjoying the videos (some more than others) in spite of the cheesy weirdness. Then I found myself getting sucked into the whole Fallon drama, watching Shadow House, reading the blogs...Until Teal Scott became this perverse hobby. While it is entirely possible that she was abused, her satanic abuse story (which I was first exposed to when she started talking about it in a video about divine femininity, zero trigger warning) perfectly matches the narratives that emerged from the "satanic panics" of the 1980s, which have been acknowledged to be coerced, fabricated stories with little basis in reality. It's a familiar narrative that was very dominant in the media in the era when she (and I) grew up as children. So as much as it feels icky to invalidate a person who claims to have experienced horrific abuse, it comes off as a little sketchy.

It's hard to know what to think of her. She comes off alternately as a sociopath, mildly autistic, any number of personality disorders, someone who was not properly socialized as a child (very likely, given her back story) or has surrounded herself so completely with sycophants that she has no perspective or humility. I keep coming back to watch the car crash unfold more and more- and while it's admirable that she wants to be honest about her "flaws," her issues go waaaay above and beyond your average mortal into gonzo territory. Her whole gestalt would make a tremendously entertaining social commentary film or book in the hands of the right author.

Am I just slow and everybody else has already noticed that in the 'about me' video for her youtube channel she is leading her viewers 'down the garden path'? What a coincidence!

And why hasn't anybody mentioned that shadow house 'episode' where she is telling Blake that the person he is interested in having a relationship with (I surmised it was Cameron) was not a good choice and that when will he get it that she "knows what she's talking about"? And then to turn around and throw such a tantrum when her 'housemates' expressed their concern that she was hopping into bed with yet another man before the spot that Fallon/Jared had filled was even cooled off yet. I can only shake my head in amazement.

>When I think of women in this field that I think are really pretty, I think >of Marianne Williamson. Debbie Ford was really beautiful. And you'll >note that neither of them exploited their attractiveness in that way.

Because they were not ex nude models and ex prostitutes as Teal was. It is not about her good look. It is about how it is exploited by Teal

You know it's funny, I was just thinking about this yesterday now that HolisticHealer has broken down the living arrangements a little. Assuming her perception of it is accurate, that's quite a little set-up she's got going. She's got her past and current paramours, at least one of whom still harbors feelings for her, all living with her. But the women, the potential sexual threats, are off-premises. They're, like, living in the maids' quarters down the road.

Did this little control drama with Blake play out before or after she unleashed her demons on Cameron in that Shadow House? Think those two things might be related?

This kind of shit really offends me: "when will he get it that she 'knows what she's talking about'?" It's just pure control-freakdom and when someone has positioned herself as an authority based on their psychic gifts, it's particularly irresponsible. You have to respect people enough to stand back and let them learn their own lessons, even if you really believe they're making a mistake. Even if they are making mistakes. Those may be mistakes they need to learn from. Otherwise you are positioning yourself as the source of another person's reality. You're stealing their power and fostering dependency. It's something I'm very cautious about in my own work. I always emphasize over and over again that whatever I see, it's still just my opinion, and you still have to trust your own intuition first, last, and always. Whatever I say should inform another person's decisions, not make their decisions for them. So dangerous.

"Do you not know, Asclepius, that Egypt is an image of heaven, or, to speak more exactly, in Egypt all the operations of the powers which rule and work in heaven have been transferred to earth below? Nay, it should rather be said that the whole Kosmos dwells in this our land as in its sanctuary." - from the Hermetica